The six musketeers

All for one and one for all. Or something like that. Funny, but this was probably one of the nicer names we were called in elementary school. They'd try and split us up every year, but it's not like they could do it completely, since there were only three classes per grade in our school. We weren't bad kids, nor trouble makers. But there was six of us. Six of us who knew each other since practically birth.

Well let me start in the beginning. It's easier this way. Then as I tell stories later on, you'll at least know who the players are.

My aunt Susan, who isn't really my Auntie (but whatever), and my mother are best friends. They met each other in college, back in the early seventies. They both got married around the same time and waited and waited to have kids. This is according to them of course. I was born in April of 1980 and Susan's son James was born the end of June. As they were the only people they each knew with kids, we spent almost all of our time together. As I love to tell him, because it makes him blush, James was the first boy I bathed with, the first boy I kissed. I was a baby, what of it?

We each others best friends, each others whole worlds. Then our moms got pregnant again. Which in reality, isn't that big of a deal, except as time wore on, we got put in nursery school. We had both just turned two years old and they put us in the morning class. If you ask my mom why, she says it was to spend some one on one time with their newborns; my brothers Adam and Justin, and James sister Meredith. If you ask Auntie Susan, it was so they could spend their mornings drinking coffee and bad mouthing their husbands to each other. Husbands who did things like spend the mortgage on boats, or not coming home until 2am the night of a planned c-section. Truly, I think the truth is somewhere in between.

In school, like most small children raised like siblings; James and I played with each other. We were good kids, so we weren't a problem, but we mostly played with each other. At least for the next year or so, until we were moved up to the preschool class. That year, they decided to separate us. Which in theory, was a good plan. But by nearly four years old, we were capable of making new friends. And we did. I met Kate the first day of school and James met Chris.

You can see where this is heading right? Now instead of two of us, there was instantly four of us. We played together at recess, we had play dates and sleepovers, if you asked any of us who are best friend was, we'd tell you we had three. We didn't mind playing with other kids, we just sort of gravitated towards each other.

In kindergarten I met Emmy. The school had decided I was an instigator; that when we got in trouble, it was mostly my fault (I was framed, I swearz), so they put me in a class by myself. I had many issues with this, but I went up to the first girl who looked cool, who wasn't talking to anyone and I made friends with her. I got lucky, because she was pretty freaking awesome.

In first grade, Chris befriended this crazy kid named Andrew. He had just moved to town, was a class clown and needed an audience. We were happy to fill that role for him. He was the one with the crazy ideas. The jumping off of the tree house onto the trampoline; the run away to china at eight years old; the try and escape into Mexico at fourteen, types of ideas. He was the reason we had many not so nice names attached too us. But shit, we had a lot of fun.

Andrew was the kinda crazy guy, the one with the big ideas. Everyone probably knew a kid like him. The wild one, the one most likely to get you in trouble.

I was the mothering one, but also the one who helped convince the others to follow through on the crazy stunts. I was also the organized one. The planner.

Emmy was the bossy one (sorry Em, but it's true), who told us all what too do. She, the youngest of three sisters, learned early on that to make herself heard in this world, she had to be the loudest. She could argue us to death, which has proved useful, now that she an attorney.

Kate was the sweet one, the girl who stopped all arguments, dried all tears and made sure we were all okay. She could (and still can) tell by just looking at any of us, what our day was like. All she has too do is look at me wrong and if I'm in any kind of a mood, I start crying.

Chris was our very own bodyguard. I suggest you all have a Chris in your life. The man can do anything. You need a tree house built? He could do it himself at ten years old. He can fix a car, build a house and could possibly build an ark, if it were ever needed. Chris has never been a bully, but he made sure that none of us were ever messed with by one. He'd protect any kid who was getting picked on, even if he never knew their name. He also could touch a musical instrument and know how too play it. Of course it is his fault that I will forever vomit when I hear Hotel California, but that's a story for another day.

James was (is) the nerd. The inventor. The reason we had money, for our big ideas. The boy ironed his monopoly money. He always had money, he hoarded it. He also used to charge interest on loaned money, even to his own mother. But he could also probably build an ark if necessary. (Ok, so I'm currently watching Even Almighty...but it is true.)

Later on, we met the crazy man that I married and um...jumped him (what?) into our group. You know about Logan and I. Emmy lives in the great wild of NYC, arguing her life away. Chris is an ER nurse in LA. He met a amazing chick named Steph in college. She is also an ER nurse. They've got two amazing boys, Malachi and Jett. We're trying to get them to move out here, but so far, no go. I won't give up though. James and Kate decided they were in love, somewhere around the time we went to college. They live here; James and Logan and one of Logan's cousins run a business together. James and Kate have two kids, Mackenzie and Aiden. Somehow we've managed to create the same thing that we had for our kids, as all of them are around the same ages. Andrew, we lost in 1999.

We were there for each other, always. Through the divorces and subsequent re-marriages of our parents. Through injuries, hurt feelings and family drama. Marriage and children. Through the loss of one of our own. We've been there for each other, forever. I know more about them, then anyone else in this world. I spent the whole weekend catching up with Emmy. Not because we don't talk, we do, but mostly these days, it's through texting and emails. She's busy, I'm busy (stop laughing) and we don't have a ton of time for each other. However, even though it had been two years since we'd seen each other, it was like it had been days. That's how you know a true friend, or this is my theory at least. If it's been years or months and it seems like no time at all, they are a true friend. Another friend was at the house at some point and there was a lull in conversation. She said, oh uncomfortable silence. Maybe it was for her, but it wasn't for us. It never is.