Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

My friend, Evonne, just flew in from St. Louis for the Women of Faith Conference. What a great conference it was! Filled with singing, worship, and top of the line speakers. And it was all the more special because my friend Evonne was here to share it with me.

Evonne and I are so "simpatico." Friends since the second grade, we have always had this uncanny ability to finish each other's sentences, read each other's minds, say the same phrases at the same time, feed off of each other's energy, stretch a story for all it's worth, and laugh, laugh, laugh. We don't care if anyone else is laughing or not. We just laugh, laugh, laugh. It's cheaper than therapy and tons more fun. My husband calls us "Nitro" and "Glycerin," because wherever we go, watch out! We had a great time growing up poor in St. Louis. I mean we had a GREAT time. We did so many crazy things and we aren't even embarrassed about it.

For example, when we were in high school, Evonne moved to California, but after a year her family moved back to the old neighborhood. While she was gone, I started going with a guy named Sam. Well I thought it would be funny to fix Evonne up with Sam's best friend, Jim, for a double date. But what she didn't know was that I switched guys on her and she was spending the evening with my boyfriend and I was with the other guy. All right, maybe this is not funny stuff now, but when you are a teenager this kind of thing can be hilarious. The evening went fine until we got back to my house. Then my mother unbeknownst to me pulled Evonne aside and clued her in. Then Evonne started getting very romantic with my boyfriend and I got jealous and etc, etc, etc… And of course there was the time she and I were double dating with these other guys and tried to convince them we were really aliens inhabiting the bodies of Barbara and Evonne and they believed us. We could be very convincing. And just think, that was 30 years before "Third Rock from the Sun." We were so ahead of our time.

Evonne has so many fine qualities and I've learned a lot from her over the years. We used to hang out a lot at the "Y" because we were members of a club there called the "Sprites." One day we were playing ping-pong and behind Evonne was the girl's restroom. Well, Evonne had just gotten into a tiff with Virginia and she was telling me all about it. We were pinging and ponging, and Evonne was waxing eloquent about how rotten Virginia was, when lo and behold who walks out of that restroom behind Evonne but Virginia. Virginia just stood behind her, arms crossed, and smugly listening. I kept trying to give Evonne some sort of signal but she wasn't catching on. Finally she got my drift. But instead of being embarrassed, she just swung around, shook that paddle in Virginia's face, and said, "And I mean every word I'm saying about you, too!" Then we resumed our game. Eventually Evonne and Virginia "made up" as we used to say but I learned that you never say anything about anyone that you are not willing to say to their face.

Today, Evonne took my husband and me out for a lovely brunch. She had located one of our old high school friends but she wouldn't let me know who it was. Which one of our old friends could she have possibly located living in California? As we waited at the table, the assistant chef came and asked if there was an Evonne at the table. She was wanted on the phone. "Uh oh! I thought! Perhaps our friend couldn't make it." She was gone a bit and the same guy came back, the one with the assistant chef nametag, and asked if there was a "Barbara" at the table. I was wanted on the phone. So he led me to the lobby where Evonne was on the phone. I was clueless, as is often the case nowadays, when Evonne pointed to the chef guy and said, "Don't you remember Sam?" I couldn't believe it. Once she told me who he was, I recognized him but until then I just thought he was the assistant chef. It had taken her 30 some years to get even with me for that little trick I pulled on her, but she has perseverance. Ha!

What a nice visit we had! Sam was not my first boyfriend but he had certainly been my first love. You know how special that can be. I hadn't seen him since high school and had so many times wondered what happened to him, where he ended up, and if he was happy. His wife joined us and it was pleasant to reminisce about old times and share our lives anew. Sam had been such a sensitive, caring guy. I had moved from the area so the last thing I heard was he, like so many of the young men from our era, had gone to fight the war in Vietnam. It was nice to see that God had been good to him and God had been good to me. And my friend, Evonne, had arranged it all.

Proverbs 18:24 says there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Evonne is that kind of friend to me. I also have another friend in my life. His name is Jesus. The more you get to know Jesus, you find that He is the one who brings the joy and laughs to the party, not the wet blanket. He is with you in the good times and bad. Just think! Two friends in my life that stick closer than a brother! I'm indeed a lucky girl!

©August 2001

Be sure to visit this page every week to read the next edition of Walking in the Valley. You can write to the author at bydahlgren@aol.com.