Dear Kevin,
By: Emily Orsini
Tags: Childhood Friends, Compassion, Influence, Gratitude, Friendship

Dear Kevin,

Ah, yes, another edition to the original Dear Natalie story I published. I felt so moved while I was writing it, that I felt as if I had no choice but to immediately write the next five paragraphs about another person who has had an extreme impact on my life. This story is dedicated and written for my best friend Kevin, someone that has been a necessity to my childhood and my coming of age. To b completely honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

My dad and Kevin’s dad were best friends in high school, which gave our parents to become extremely close. Kevin’s mom and my mom were pregnant at the same time, and were both supposed to have Kevin and I December 27th, 2004. Unfortunately, that was not how it worked out, with me being born almost three weeks early and Kevin almost three weeks late. Since we have always been so close in age, we spent a significant amount of time together. Him and my Uncle Scott, his dad, would ride their bikes to my house, where Kevin and I would play for hours on end. He was like a brother to me then, and still is now.

Kevin has always been there for me, in so any indescribable ways. He made me laugh when I was down, encouraged me while lifting weights in my garage, and never fails to find a way to make me laugh. Kevin has always been that person that I always knew would be by my side, no matter what the situation was. He would always side with me, no matter how much he agreed or disagreed with me, and would do anything to make sure my family and I are safe. I can’t forget the fact that he practically lives at my house, and his visits are not short-lived. When Kevin comes over, he isn’t just here for a few hours, he stays for at least 48 hours at a time, and those 48 hours are always jam packed with playing two-hand-touch football, having softball catches, and swimming for hours on end.

Kevin is apart of almost every aspect of my life, and whenever I see him, whether it’s at a football game, a family party, or in a random field in the middle of nowhere, I always find myself gravitating towards him. He’s so incredibly kind and caring for those that he loves, and I’m so unbelievably lucky to have him in my life. Not only is he a best friend to me, but also to my entire family, including my stubborn, thirteen year old brother, Johnny. When Kevin is with us, Johnny and I’s mood instantly change for the better. Over quarantine, when being with one or two people was allowed, Kevin, Johnny, and I would go to our middle school track and do a training session every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Not only did this put us in incredibly good shape, but also allowed us to bond and make us inseparable.

Kevin, thank you for being you. Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on when a relationship didn’t work, for encouraging me when I was accomplishing things, and constantly checking in and making me feel important. Thank you for the millions of crucifixes when the last thing I want is for you to lay on top of me, for entertaining my insane ideas, and for dealing with me during, as you say, “Shark Week”. Thank you for treating others the way you do, and being a great role model to my brother and all the kids you interact with on the daily. Here’s to being my best friend, to the Tik Tok dances we take hours to learn, to the selfies we take mocking my mom. I hope you ever stop being the funny, kind, protective guy you are, and that you always know you’re worth so much more than you’ll ever realize. Can’t forget about how we tricked the whole sixth grade into thinking we were twins, or all the random movies we watched. To reminiscing on the memories of your Pop, and you giving the best hugs ever. Thank you for being you, and allowing me to be apart of your life the way I am. I will be forever grateful for you and all the memories we have together, and the memories we will have in the future. Also, shout out to Ryleigh, for being able to put up with you and your antics ten times better than I ever have and ever will.

See you next time KG,

Emily