WHEN OPPOSITES ATTRACT or How I met my best friend. by Joan Wiederhoft Davis

With Love to my Best Friend

Ever say something you wished you could take back? The life altering sentence I said was: "What's the matter with you? You look like somebody died".

I know- such tact for a 17 year old! To which she answered, "Somebody did, my dad." And that became the foundation.

Linda and I were Beatles and 'Our Town' different. "Louie, Louie" and any music from The King and I opposites. She had a brother. I had a cat.

Her mom worked, mine made cookies and was always there when I came home from school. She wore head bands, I had bangs to

Linda with my son Cory

my eyebrows. She smoked, I did not. She was Lutheran - I was Catholic (she did convert later--think my mom had something to do with that.)

She spent more time at my house than her own, so she adopted my mom. Of course that would be after putting in many hours on sets with the drama class with painting and getting the details just right for opening night. Mrs. Pratt could only walk on water as far as Linda was concerned. I had speech class with her and it seemed her feet touched the same ground as mine. (but I did get a B)

We did the regular hang out stuff; she, I and one
other would drive up and down main in the green Ford Fairlane. She suffered thru her first Beatle movie with me (it was my 5th viewing) and would order Pepsi while my drink was Coke.

The following year, my dad passed. She became the

Beatles Concert in Minneapolis

older sister I never had, the ears I could cry into and the person who made it a mission to learn to drive a straight stick so she could drive us to see the Beatles in Minneapolis to fulfill my dad's promise that I could go. At the A & W drive in, it took 9 attempts to get out of the parking lot. Easy to overlook a parking

brake, especially when you've never used one before. My cheeks hurt so bad from laughing and there were many looks from others as she leap-frogged backwards at each try. She did not see the Beatles. She stayed in the parking lot with my mom and people-watched for over 2 hours.

During some ceremony at the Civic center, awards and recognition was being done, Linda was given a special pin. It represented her hours of drama work and dedication to that art. The tears that day were of pure pride for her.

Linda became my pen pal when she went to school in

Wedding

Vermillion, my maid of honor, my oldest sons Godmother, my mom's matron of honor when she remarried many years later.

She was my oldest chronological and physical friend I have had. She was one day and one year older that I, so we compromised and celebrated it on Jan, 9th. Linda passed the week before Christmas 2015. It was my heart that had the tears. 

I dedicate my best High School memories to Linda Strecker. My best friend.