Letting Go of a Friendship

Letting Go of a Friendship

Daniel Nevins

National American University

Instructor: Kathleen Welch

From the age of 12, Donnie was my best friend. We did everything together. We laughed, we cried,

we got in trouble, and we made lifelong memories together. We were both two kids that had a less than

perfect childhood, and we found comfort in the friendship that we came to have. We were inseparable,

and there was no one that could come between us.

I was placed in a foster home when I was 12. I was placed in the home of Ken and Shari Phelps. This

was a home filled with love and great Christian values. I had never really been to church before, but it

was a requirement while living in the Phelps' home. One of the first people I met was Donald Morris. He

was a troubled kid from a broken home, in a poverty stricken neighborhood. We became friends

immediately.

I started getting into trouble at the age of 14. I decided to steal the church van and attempt to drive

to see my mother, whom I had not seen in 3 years. Well, that decision was quickly ended when I was

pulled over. I ended up being sentenced to a juvenile facility for 1 year. During this time, I had no

contact at all with Donnie. When I was released, I found Donnie, and it was like we had never been

apart. My troubles did not end with the year I did in juvenile detention. I committed more petty crimes

and was placed in numerous different facilities, but every time I was released, Donnie and I continued

our friendship like there were no periods of separation.

When I turned 18, I committed my first felony. While I was sitting in jail, Donnie had also been

charged with a felony. Donnie convinced me to convince the police that I was the one who had

committed the crime so that he would not go to jail. I did convince the police that I was in fact the one

who had committed the crime, and I was sentenced to 6 years in prison for both my crime and for

Donnie's crime.

Six years came and went, and not one time did I hear from Donnie. When I was released from prison,

Donnie was the first person that I saw. He was standing there outside the prison gates ready to take me

home. So again, just like in the past, our relationship continued like there was never a lapse in time.

After a while, I realized that I needed to get away from my old playgrounds and playmates, so I moved

to Kansas City to escape my troubles. A few years went by and my childhood friendship with Donnie

seemed to disappear.

Out of the blue, I received a phone call from Donnie. He wanted to come see me. I was so excited. I

was like a child on Christmas day. When Donnie arrived, it was again like we had never been apart. He

stayed with me a week. When he left to go back home he promised to keep in touch and visit often. He

did exactly that. Every couple of months, he came to Kansas City to visit and we had a wonderful time.