When I was in 5th grade, I met Raini Cambra, who became my best friend through 8th grade until she moved to San Quentin near San Francisco. (Her dad got a job at the prison.) She and I were very close, and I felt a connection to her that I have only felt with a few of my 'best friends' in my life. I think part of it was that we were able to be together so much, but I know part of it was that she and I were serious fantasizers, and understood each other. Ok, here it goes. Maybe this post will stay private, we'll see...
We were somewhat obsessed with boys, but completely and totally devoted to George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!. Ha, ha, haaa. Yeah, I know. Try writing it down where others can read it. Anyway, those guys were the objects of our elaborate fantasies. (I was infatuated with George, she with the other guy. Hee hee.) We didn't call them fantasies at that time. They were stories we would think up when we were not together but then share when we were. Each story would take more than an hour to tell, usually, if I remember correctly. There were the occasional quickies, but mostly they were maybe 1.5 to 2 hours. Each story had the same basic plot but with different details. How we met them, what they thought of us, what we did together, etc. Honestly, I could give much better details here if I could remember. I am writing this down now because I just remembered last night in the middle of the night that this even happened. It is an important part of my past because of the fantasies, obviously, but also because of something else. One thing I do remember about these stories were the differences between hers and mine. Keep in mind that we were like 11 years old or so. Raini's stories, while they would include me and George Michael, were significantly more focused on her and Andrew Ridgeley. I remember her getting a look on her face when she could see that I was not getting what I wanted out of the story, (hey, maybe back then I actually said something) and she would add story on the fly as though it was part of the original. I don't want to bad mouth Raini. She was one of my bestest friends ever, and this is my recollection of something that happened more than 20 years ago, so it maybe just have been my perception of the situation, and not terribly accurate. Anyway, there was a difference between us in this way. When I made up my stories, and when I told them, they were more balanced. I wanted her to be excited too. I wanted her to be as thrilled about my stories as I was, and I got a kick out of the look on her face when she was hanging on my every word.
Remembering this is really interesting to me, because it is a very early account of my fantasies and also empathy that I can recall and use to explain why I am the way I am. I am guessing that if I try harder, I can remember other things about this, and maybe get different information from it. But, this is all I can remember at the moment...oh and an alarming amount of detailed information about George Michael in his earlier years. Eek.