When We Were 19, My Best Friend and I Pr0mised That If We Were Both Single at 60, We’d Find Each 0ther – I Turned 60 Last Tuesday, and My Old Landline Rang

It had belonged to my father.

And I hadn’t seen it since the year he died.

—

Jeffrey and I became best friends when we were seventeen.

Not boyfriend and girlfriend.

Just Jeffrey and Ruth.

At least, that was what we always told people.

He dated other girls.

I went out with other boys.

I even attended prom with someone else, although Jeffrey ended up driving me there after my date’s car broke down.