My Childhood Best Friend and I Reconnected After Nearly 30 Years Thanks to Holland America.

“We have to do George Washington hair!” I yelled to my childhood best friend. We were in the warm waters off Corsica, but for a second we might as well have been in a backyard swimming pool. We’d named the hairstyle after the first president when we were 12. Now here we were, in the Mediterranean Sea, floating below an old military fort, laughing just as hard as we did back then. Growing up, we spent every summer together. We camped, swam, and talked about boys and what we thought our lives would look like when we got older. After high school, we went in different directions. For nearly 30 years, I didn’t see her. I thought about her often. Sometimes I’d remember something we did as kids and wish I could tell her about it, because I knew she’d remember it, too. kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm{2DE J62C[ D96 ;@:?65 2 H@>6?’D 8C@FA EC:A x 9@DE65 :? uC2?46] x H2D 8=25 E@ D66 96C 282:?[ 3FE x H2D CF??:?8 E96 EC:A 2?5 H6 C2C6=J 925 E:>6 E@ @FCD6=G6D] (96? x 925 E96 492?46 E@ D2:= 7C@> #@>6 E@ q2C46=@?2 23@2C5 w@==2?5 p>6C:42’D ~@DE6C52> 2?5 C62=:K65 :E H2D  @? 96C d_E9 3:CE952J[ x :?G:E65 96C] x H2D 6I4:E65 E@ 8@] x 2=D@ H@?56C65 H92E H@F=5 92AA6? H96? H6 C2? @FE @7 42E49:?8 FA E@ 5@] (6’5 366? :?D6A2C23=6 2D <:5D[ 3FE 2 H66< :? 2 4CF:D6 423:? :D 2 =@E @7 E:>6 E@ DA6?5 H:E9 D@>6@?6 J@F 32C6=J 6k^DEC@?8mk^9am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm$96’5 ?6G6C 366? E@ #@>6] x’5 366? 6I4:E65 367@C692?5 2?5 H2D 6I4:E65 E@ D9@H 96C >J 72G@C:E6 A=246D 2?5 C6DE2FC2?ED] (6 2CC:G65 2 76H 52JD 367@C6 E96 4CF:D6[ E@FC65 E96 r@=@DD6F>[ H2?56C65 E9C@F89 DBF2C6D 2?5 CF:?D[ 2?5 2E6 >@C6 86=2E@ E92? D9@F=5 36 =682=]k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm~?6 ?:89E[ H6 H6?E E@ 5:??6C :? %C2DE6G6C6 2?5 42>6 24C@DD 2 3=@4< A2CEJ] p 4C@H5 H2D 36=E:?8 @FE “%2<6 |6 w@>6[ r@F?ECJ #@25D[” 23@FE E96 =2DE D@?8 x 6IA64E65 E@ 962C @? 2 DEC66E :? #@>6] (6 :D A6C764E 7@C 2 C6F?:@?k^DEC@?8mk^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qmx’G6 E2<6? ?62C=J a_ 4CF:D6D[ 3FE ?6G6C @? w@==2?5 p>6C:42] ~@DE6C52> EFC?65 @FE E@ 36 E96 A6C764E D9:A 7@C @FC C6F?:@?] ~FC 32=4@?J 423:? H2D 4@KJ 6?@F89 E@ 92G6 :?E:>2E6 4@?G6CD2E:@?[ 3FE C@@>J 6?@F89 H6 925 DA246 E@ 3C62E96]  (6 DA6?E 9@FCD @? @FC 32=4@?J C625:?8[ 492EE:?8[ 2?5 D42??:?8 7@C 7=J:?8 7:D9 2?5 5@=A9:?D] k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm%96 D9:A 925 H@?56C7F= 6?E6CE2:?>6?E @AE:@?D H:E9@FE 766=:?8 =:<6 2? 2>FD6>6?E A2C<] (6 H6?E E@ D9@HD[ 3@@<65 >2DD286D[ 2?5 >256 ?6H 7C:6?5D E@@] k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm(6 5C6DD65 FA 7@C 5:??6C 2E |@C:>@E@ 3J $62[ H96C6 x @C56C65 E96 3:886DE =@3DE6C x’G6 6G6C 62E6?] v:88=65 @G6C A2DE2 A=2E6D 2E r2?2=6EE@ 2?5 D92C65 DE@C:6D 23@FE @FC 72>:=:6D 2E !:??24=6 8C:== H9:=6 762DE:?8 @? r9:=62? $62 q2DD 2?5 42?5:65 324@? 9F?8 7C@> 2 “4=@E96D =:?6”]k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm|J 72G@C:E6 ?:89E H2D E96 @?6 H6 564:565 E@ 92G6 2? @=5\72D9:@?65 D=F>36C A2CEJ]  (6 DE2CE65 H:E9 7246>2D\4@>D :? @FC 423:? 2?5 DE2J65 FA E2=<:?8]  p7E6C J62CD @7 5:DE2?46[ 96C6 H6 H6C6[ 324< E@ E96 D2>6 24E:G:E:6D H6 D92C65 E@86E96C 2D <:5D]  k^Am k9a 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\9625:?8QmkDEC@?8mu@FC A@CED[ 7@FC G6CJ 5:776C6?E 52JDk^DEC@?8mk^9am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm~FC D6G6?\?:89E w@==2?5 p>6C:42 :E:?6C2CJ E@@< FD 7C@> #@>6 E@ q2C46=@?2 3J H2J @7 !@CE@7:?@[ p;244:@ :? r@CD:42[ |2CD6:==6[ 2?5 v:3C2=E2C] %96 :E:?6C2CJ H2D E96 A6C764E 3=6?5 @7 9:DE@CJ[ :?4C65:3=6 D46?6CJ[ 2?5 6I4:E6>6?E]  k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm(6 H6C6 =@@<:?8 5@H? @? E96 xE2=:2? #:G:6C2 7C@> 2 42DE=6 @?6 52J 2?5 H2=<:?8 E9C@F89 (@C=5 (2C xx EF??6=D :?D:56 E96 #@4< @7 v:3C2=E2C 2 76H 52JD =2E6C] (6 G:D:E65 }2A@=6@? q@?2A2CE6’D 49:=59@@5 9@>6 :? p;244:@[ 2?5 E@FC65 362FE:7F= 49FC496D :? |2CD6:==6]  k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm(6 H2?56C65 2?4:6?E 4:E:6D[ 8@E =@DE :? 4@=@C7F= 2==6JH2JD[ 2?5 =2F8965 7@C 9@FCD H96? x 8@E C@3365 3J 2 q2C36CJ pA6 :? v:3C2=E2C]  k^Am k9a 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\9625:?8QmkDEC@?8mx’5 E2<6 E96 EC:A 282:?k^DEC@?8mk^9am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm(96? H6 @A6?65 E96 4FCE2:?D @? E96 =2DE >@C?:?8[ H6 H6C6 2=C625J 5@4<65 :? q2C46=@?2] (6 D2:5 8@@53J6 E@ @FC C@@> DE6H2C5[ 92F=65 @FC 328D 5@H? E96 82?8H2J[ 2?5 DA6?E 2 76H >@C6 52JD E@86E96C :? E96 4:EJ] k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9Qm(92E H@C<65 23@FE E9:D C6F?:@? EC:A H2D 49@@D:?8 2 D9:A E92E H2D E96 C:89E D:K6 2?5 G:36 7@C FD[ 2? :E:?6C2CJ E92E H2D :?E6C6DE:?8[ 2?5 2 D92C65 56D:C6 E@ C64@??64E H:E9 6249 @E96C 2?5 E96 J@F8 8:C=D H6 @?46 96C6] k^Am kA 4=2DDlQHA\3=@4<\A2C28C2A9QmpE `a[ H6 DA6?E H9@=6 DF>>6CD E2=<:?8 23@FE H92E @FC =:G6D H@F=5 36 =:<6 H96? H6 H6C6 @=56C] x 5@?’E C6>6>36C H92E 6:E96C @7 FD :>28:?65] x 4@F=5?’E >2<6 FA 7@C 2== E92E E:>6[ 3FE :E 82G6 FD 6?@F89 @7 :E E@ E2=< =2E6[ C625 36D:56 6249 @E96C[ 2?5 >2<6 ?6H >6>@C:6D] (96? x E9:?< @7 96C ?@H[ x DE:== A:4EFC6 E9@D6 324^9@==2?5\2>6C:42\@@DE6C52>Qmu=2??6=D @C u=:A7=@AD %C2G6=]k^2mk^Am