We took the golden An to Fran

When I joined my first (and only) college org, I was immediately liked by most of them (I think it was because I was always in pekpek shorts and I had thighs of steel) but I only made a few friends right away - and I mean the kind of friends who last this lifetime and the next. I mean, I did make those kinds of friends in the org as time went on, but as luck would have it, I formed early bonds with a few. It's like we knew right away that we were going to be really tight for the rest of our lives. One of them was Lala, another was Reitch, and a third one was Fran.

From early on, Fran and I were hugging and cooing and being all motherly together to the rest of the Quillfolk, although I have to admit she was better at that than I were. She taught me to embrace my ditziness (I was in denial), that it was okay to be smart and ditzy at the same time because, well, we can. She inspires me with her beautiful and optimistic, yet quite realistic, view of the world. She also taught me that you can write erotica and children's lit, just be careful what you give to whom. She is both Charlotte and Samantha on Sex and the City and she is the only person who can pull that off and make perfect sense. She is probably the only one who really understands the native brown woman chip on my shoulder, and, interestingly, we are actually both happy to be such cliches. She is my shrink, my co-hobbit, my Piglet.

My favorite earliest memory of Fran is we went on a UP rally together and it started to rain and she just smiled at the sky. She was so beautiful. She still is.

My favorite second earliest memory of Fran is how, while I was talking to this guy who was then about to ask me out (ahem), she sat in between us in mid conversation, enveloped me in her arms, gave me a squeeze and then stuck her tongue out at my then would-be suitor.

I have many memories since then. Le sigh.

Fran actually inspired two stories I've written - well, one story, and part of another. You Could Be Superman was borne while I was watching her have this conversation with Alex Gregorio. He was probably going on and on like the genius that he is and she was probably only half listening because Alex is so damn gorgeous. And now, that conversation they had (of what, I have no idea) is immortalized.

A few years later, I wrote a story about me and this man I loved (perhaps still love), and it was a story about a girl and her eyeglasses. In the story, the main character (okay, okay, me again) talks about her friend who takes her glasses off even if she can't see without them. It's one of those things that I love about Fran, and it will be one of those things that I will really miss.

Franny is going away. But not forever (so she says, haha). I miss her already, but I'm actually not worried that I will lose her. For a while, we (the island of beautiful putahs) had a group blog, but we discontinued it because it was just me and Fran talking. After that, we tried an email group. And then, you guessed it, it was just me and Fran talking. Not that we minded talking to just each other. Talking to each other will always be something I'm sure we'll always do.

There was this one time that Fran called me and asked if I was busy, or going to be busy. I asked why she asked that and she said she was just checking if I have time to talk to her. At the time, I was quite busy with all this stuff (as everyone who knows me knows that I am only most alive when my headless body is running in all directions) but I felt bad that I didn't even have time to sit and talk with one of my good friends - no, one of my great friends on the phone. And the thing that really killed me was she really didn't mind, she was just being practical. You know that girl in the Roger Sanchez video, the one carrying the big, big heart? That's Frances. Except, her heart doesn't shrink. She won't let it. And that will be the most wonderful thing about her.

Come back to the Hundred Acre Wood, my dearest Fwanny. I'll be cleaning your Trespassers W sign for you while you're gone. Love!