I said goodbye to Ingrid tonight, standing at the corner of 2nd and Poplar. The crew had gathered at the Standard Tap for one last evening together. As we walked down the sidewalk, farewells were said, as people branched off to their cars. Seth was going to drive me home, and Ingrid was riding with Una and Cindy, so we stood there, hugging in the light of the street lamp. I held my tears in and laughed as we realized that Una was parked just in front of Seth, so the dramatic moment on the corner wasn’t quite the end. I walked around to the back of his car to get my bag, and Ingrid came around for one more hug. We both started to weep. Heaving sobs shook both of us as we held on to each other and marked the end of three and a half amazing years of friendship in Philadelphia.

I met Ingrid at the Unitarian church in November of 2002, although now, it’s hard to imagine a time when I didn’t know her. Ellen pointed me in her direction on Sunday during coffee hour, and we instantaneously fell into friendship. I can’t even remember a time when we were just acquaintances. We were strangers and moments later we were sharing our souls (and making plans to go see the second Harry Potter movie).

We have been each others’ supports through break ups and moves. Nights that were drunken and wild as well as the tamer ones. We have eaten countless meals together, slept side by side, driven across states, listened to music and laughed. When I developed an impractical, unrequited crush on her brother, she gave me a picture of him from when he was in high school wearing nothing but a pair of shorts made out of a Texas flag.

She is moving back to Texas, her home state, to be closer to her parents. It just felt like time. I understand it, and I’m excited for all the changes she is creating in her life. I know that many amazing things are in her future, and I’m just jealous that I won’t get to be part of the day to day.

This move isn’t the end of our friendship, we will know and love each other for the rest of our lives, but I am still so sad to see her go.