On a Friday night in October? November? of 2007 you called me. I seriously thought you were in a car wreck since that is exactly why you called me the last time you called me on a Friday night eight years ago.

The conversation we had that Friday night was non-eventful, informal, meaningful without being intrusive or clumsy. Nothing new was discussed but unlike all but two conversations we've had this year, it wasn't irrelavant. What you were saying actually made sense to me.

When you called that Friday night you weren't using your weekday-busy voice. You weren't even driving when you called that night. Almost every time I've talked to you this year you're on the 85 on a weekday.

I felt relieved after our first real conversation this year and slept well because of it.

But little did I know that the best thing you ever had or will ever tell me would be the message you would leave me two days later. You told me you meant everything you said two nights previous but that you called to apologise to me for "over-stepping (your) bounds".

After the only phone conversation we've had in the last year that wasn't meaningless, you've informed me that you said something there that must have offended someone.

I have absolutely no idea what you consider to be out of bounds between us. I don't know what you consider to be the Friendship End Zone. I don't know how or even why the Susy Field of Friendship has changed so much so quickly, yet you still keep dragging me out there by the bruised facemask of the helmet that is my Heart. For most of this year and all of the previous four my helmet Heart has offered my head no protection from you.

In 2007, more than once, you have called *and* written me to say you're too busy to call. Before September I had no idea why because you had not told me anything about yourself outside of work. This past summer you actually sent me an email message saying your email is down.

In the last eight, ten, thirteen months I have had to make real life adjustments upon learning or realizing I had lost my Best Friend. I had to change. I had to ask of you and myself things I never wanted to do because I had to do them without you.

So now I can honestly say without malice, sarcasm or even regret that I can deal with you while accepting the loss of my Best Friend. Its been months, years since I've known that we both wanted and needed to move on.

I believe I depended on or leaned on my Best Friend too much. But I am confident she knows that I harbored no futile hopes nor gambled emotionally on alternate private ajendas for there was nothing unspoken between my Best Friend and I.

I am confident that my behavior in the presence of you and my Best Friend can be considered worthy of a future gentleman. For years after you told me you weren't In Love with me I never let that come between us in my head or in our conversations. I can now not only look back at our past with favor but I can talk to you without fear or spite or excuses, regardless of topic.

And I can say that because as of Today, I already have.

So the next time you're out of bounds when we speak, I invite or encourage you to share it with me. Let me know where or when you left the field of play so I can see where the new line has been drawn.

Have a great day.