How I met your Mother: Part III: It was the Worst of Times (1999)

It was 9:00 AM on January 1, 1999. I was driving home from Elizabeth Trevino's New Year's Eve party and I was on top of the world. After much communication between Marie and I in the fall of 98', we had gotten back together in December and it felt like everything was going my way. We had a great time at the party with the whole choir crew and I remember thinking as I drove home, "So far, this year has been perfect". Little did I know my world was going to be crashing down around me in the coming year.

In just a few short weeks, on Friday, February 12th - Mikey died in a car accident. Most everyone from the choir crew was able to make it back to San Antonio from their various universities to the memorial service and funeral. It was all so terribly sad. Mikey was the glue of our little circle of friends - her passing made the group feel closer than ever before. One of the best things I can say about Mikey was that she was an individual - she was her own person. Those of us who loved her still miss her.

Sometime that terrible weekend, Marie suggested she thought it would be a good idea if we weren't an exclusive couple anymore. She thought it might be good for us to see other people as it seemed to her that we were getting too serious. I was shocked - not only at the thoughtless timing of the idea but that this was even happening all over again. In March my Mom was diagnosed with an aggressive case of breast cancer. In that 2-3 month period I had never felt so much anger and sadness in my life.

It wasn't all bad though. That spring I ran for Student Body President (as a joke/protest candidate), my friend and roommate Doug and I had our first and last "real" college party and we usually had a blast at doing whatever hi-jinks we were up to. Nonetheless, all my fun still couldn't mask the sadness I had inside.

Your mother and I weren't in contact much at all that semester. I think she had her own long-distance relationship drama as JJ (who was at Texas State). That summer I went to school and worked in College Station. I didn't come in town all that much as I had to occasionally work on Saturdays. Sometime during the summer I made it back into town to see friends and visit the folks.

Our friend Danny was moving into a new apartment and it seems like he solicited just about everyone he knew to help. After we finished the move, we ordered pizzas and hung out at the new place. Eventually a movie got put on, but I was restless and wound up in the kitchen talking with whoever was there. At some point Kathryn came in to get a drink and we talked for the first time in a very long time. I remember sliding around on my socks as spoke (although this may well be wrong, because, after all,  I'm found of sliding around in my socks at all times). During our conversation I was reminded that Kathryn was (and is) just an all-around good person. Surprisingly, I felt at home with her even though the past few years we hadn't really talked much at all.

Because your mom is such a sweetheart she listened to me as I unloaded to her about my heartbreak over Marie (no, of course I wasn't over her). She even told me Marie still spoke about me at LSU and this gave me much needed hope. For the first time, it dawned on me that Kathryn could be getting me good intel from LSU. I could have a spy on the "inside" in the fall!

That school year Kathryn and I emailed each other a few times and we spoke a little more often. Generally, we sought out each other's company a little more at our group's social functions. A new friendship was forming, one that we both could have never imagined would wind up being so important. We were going to best friends one day.