Have you ever had a friend who, no matter what you went through, no matter where you were in life, in the highest of highs and lowest of lows, was always there? These are the friends that understand us better than anyone, whether they believe it or not. Either by proximity, or by their sheer ability to know what you are thinking through your facial and bodily expressions. I have a lot of friends like this, too many to count. However, I was gifted with one particularly close friend, and he has always been there for me. We were close growing up and still are thicker than thieves today. One thing differentiates this friend from any other friend I may have: he is my cousin.
Riley and I are interestingly related. You see, he is not my first cousin. Our grandmothers were first cousins and best friends growing up. So it is kind of fitting that since another pair in our family was the same age, that they be friends as well. For as long as I can remember, we have been close and part of each others' lives.
Riley and I have been close ever since we were in diapers. I am slightly older but we have always been on the same level for everything else. I remember going to his house everyday because his mother was my babysitter and all the trouble we used to get into just being curious young tikes. From playing tug-o-war to terrorizing his little sisters we did everything to get underneath his parents' skin.
However as we got older, I found that our relationship began to change. Both of us settled into our respective roles in high school, yet we still remained close. Although I was not bullied terribly in middle/high school, I did get a bit of it. I used to be made fun of for the way I dressed and who my friends were. I have, in the past, expressed in my article "Dress to Impress Yourself" that I wore clothes that portrayed who I wanted to be. I also wasn’t technically the most popular in high school. I was criticized for that and who I decided to hang out with. However, Riley was always there. He defended me and was a sole constant in a world of constant change.
We played tennis, and for our last two years of high school we were partners. I found that this partnership brought us even closer. We understood each other and our differences complemented each other both on the court and in life. In tennis, Riley was the aggressive power hitter, while I was the fast, more fluid ball placement player. It worked well -- what I lacked, he made up for, and vice versa. We developed a routine -- after each point we would hi-five, exchange congratulations or motivation, and move to the next point. Our game was structured and based off of constant momentum just as our friendship was.
We would spend time together in routine and hardly ever took a hiatus from spending at least a little time together on the weekends. We always seemed to do the same things -- which included going to the same restaurants, playing the same games, and going to the same places to hang out.
A year ago I was not myself for a variety of reasons. However, Riley did not let that hinder our relationship whatsoever. Amidst my frequent leaves of absence and silence he remained. During lunch when I reduced myself to only a body and pair of headphones in a room, he remained sitting next to me, supporting me, showing kindness to me, sharing fellowship with me -- he continued the routine. I can’t describe how much that meant to me. At my lowest lows he was there, and he is with me now that I am on the mountaintop. For the man who’s always been there, the man I’ve grown with, my Teammate, cousin, friend, and protector, thank you.
