So while sitting at work, being off task, for hoots and hollars I type my best friend's name in a people search. I don't really know what compells me, perhaps a Hallmark special the night before, or the the fact that tis the season to wonder about old friends...and to wish you could share some time together again.
I have writen about her here in the past. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/36575/1.ashx. It was always her experience and the way the elders treated that always got me thinking, "God's organization indeed." While I always thought the fault was with me before, it was after their treatment of her I realized I wasn't the flawed one here.
A shock to me (because those people searches NEVER work for me) I found her. And living in the city she was moving to when last we talked. I was worried the information was old, but wrote it down nonetheless.
I hemed and hawed for a few days over what to do. What do you say? What if she is still in. I had heard through the grapevine she had gone back to meetings for a time. That made me nervous. One of my other friends who had already left once had gone back, and all zealous too. (Zealous for daddies money to bail her out I'm sure had something to do with it too).
Good old Hallmark to the rescue. (No really they paid me nothing and this is not a commercial for them). I decided while shopping to just stroll through and see if I found anything that struck a cord. I did. Something about lost friendships, but knowing if we met again the same familiarity would always be there.
So I sent it off. (I was too chicken shit to call).
I also added a little note inside explaining that I wasn't going to meetings, so that if she felt she couldn't contact me I understood. I figured it was only fair.
Well mail must travell faster than I expected because I got a phone call a day and a half later from her. Apparently she is done with the witnesses too. She had read some of the same books I had. Apparently while explaining to her youngest brother (who is doing nothing with the witnesses and has developed an escapist drug problem) that he should maybe try and read these books, he let it slip that his sister was an apostate.
Her parents, grandparents, and everyone else in her family hasn't spoken to her in over a month. And sworn they won't.
She mentioned she was really glad to get a letter from me, she could really use some friends now. She was especially glad to hear I too am an "apostate" because it "feels good to find someone who understands what it was like"
Maybe there is a God. Maybe it's fate, but for whatever reason I feel like it was a good thing I got the urge to write a note to a friend...a friend at the time I didn't know would need me so badly.
We have tenative plans to meet soon. My hope is we stay together this time, and not let such a long and meaningless time pass between vists again.