Tara and I hadn’t spoken for 16 years but when she friended me on Facebook in 2009, clicking “accept” was a no brainer. I messaged her immediately.

Ms. Mitchell!

Do you ever age? Bitch.

p.s. Hi Tara!
p.p.s. You look lovely!

She responded…

I am timeless.

p.s. Hello Nicole!
p.p.s. Wish you were next door…

Tara was my next door neighbor in the dorms my freshman year of college. She liked Cat Stevens and the Violent Femmes. She smoked clove cigarettes out of her window and played the flute. She was 6 feet tall (or 5’12” as she liked to put it) and was asked so frequently about her height that she posted it on her nametag at a waitressing job because she got tired of people asking.

Tara had taken me to my first “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and taught me when to throw the bread. She introduced me to…