I Miss My Friend Dearly

I remember the first time meeting Ben my freshman year in Stauffer Hall. I didn’t even have to ask where he was from. There on his wall was a huge Texas flag and other random objects that could only be associated with Texas.    About a week after meeting him, I happened to be in his dorm visiting his roommate after class one afternoon and found Ben sick in his bed with the chills and a fever. On his chest was a book that he had to finish for a test that was the next day. I asked him if there was anything that I could do for him and he said that if he had someone finish the book and take the test the following day, he would be in great shape. So I did the next best thing. I read him the last two and a half chapters of the book. I don’t know if it was the fever or the reading material that got to him but Ben promptly passed out there after. I think he actually ended up doing pretty well on that test.    From that moment on, I think Ben and I realized that we made a pretty good team. We thought a lot about our future and both wondered what our lives would be like after college. Ben looked forward to starting a family and becoming a father. We enjoyed each other’s company so much that we made a pact. If neither of us were married by thirty, we would just take the plunge together. Well, when you’re twenty, thirty seems like such a long way off. Now, at twenty-four, it doesn’t seem that far off. I know Ben would have made a great husband someday.    Throughout my four years at Whittier, Ben and I shared a lot of memories but one of the most memorable conversations that we had occurred when we were driving to Newport Beach to meet up with some friends. It was just the two of us and it was just a few days before graduation. Ben looked at me and asked; “have you given any thought to what you are going to do for your parents for graduation?” I myself had been bouncing some ideas around in my head but told him that I had not come up with anything yet. Ben told me that he had been racking his brain for a good idea but always came to the same conclusion; there was nothing he could do to ever fully convey how beyond grateful he was for their sacrifice and the hard work they endured in order to put him in college. Ben absolutely adored and loved his parents. He talked about his wonderful relationship with his father and the admiration that he had for his mother. He knew that graduation day would be one of the pinnacle moments of his parent’s life.   There is no greater sadness that I have ever experienced than to have someone taken from my life, especially when I know that Ben had so many wonderful moments ahead of him. Ben’s purpose in life was to make the lives of those around him happy and to fill our lives with laughter. I miss him dearly. Love, Andrea Ibarra