In the long ago before I had even started school at the age of five I had a friend named Merrily. She was a beautiful child who always wore her dark brown hair in braids that hung down over her shoulders. I so enjoyed playing with her, but she did not live full time on our street. Her parents were divorced so she only came now and again to visit with her father and his new wife.
Merrily never spoke of the breakup of her parents and I was too young to ask about such things but it was indeed strange to me. I was never sure how to refer to her father’s wife because Merrily never referred called her “mother” or even her stepmother. Nonetheless Merrily was lots of fun and so I simply enjoyed her company whenever she was available.
Both Merrily’s father and his wife worked at full time jobs so during the week Merrily was supervised by the family maid who would watch her and care for her needs. That meant that I had to play at her house rather than mine and it was quite different to be in a place that seemed to be picture perfect, quiet and always orderly. My own home was filled with the toddler babbling of my brother Michael and the laughter and songs of my mother who always seemed to be celebrating her delightful mood.
Merrily’s home was always dark and cool and decorated with exquisite furnishings while mine was filled with sunshine and the usual collection of highchairs and playpens and little toys that belonged to me and my brother. I loved my family and everything about life in our house but sometimes it was fun to be in the elegance of Merrily’s domain.
I was usually a bit wary of dogs back then, especially large ones that seemed to tower over me. I had been introduced to the German Shepherd that belonged to the girlfriend of one of my uncles. All I had to do is walk to the back door and the snarling beast would slam his entire body against the only barrier between him and me. All the while he would growl and bare his teeth as though to warn me that he would devour me if only he had the opportunity. Thus I remember flinching a bit when Merrily first introduced me to her pet who was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Fortunately he was a very gentle and obedient dog who never made any kind of dangerous moves towards me. He only wagged his tail and waited for me to pet him which I truly enjoyed doing.
My friendship with Merrily was sporadic given her comings and goings but after we had played together a number of times her parents invited me to dinner one evening. I can’t recall what the food was like with the exception of the dessert at the end of the meal. The lady of the house set a single scoop of vanilla ice cream in front of each of us and then performed what seemed to me like a feat of magic. She walked around the table spooning a liquid chocolate concoction onto the confection that turned to a hard surface upon connecting with the cold. It was like an Eskimo Pie in a bowl. Never before had I seen anything like it and to say was impressed would be an understatement.
Before long Merrily’s father and his wife had moved so I was once again trapped in a neighborhood filled with only boys and no girls. It seemed to be my fate everywhere I went. Even my cousins were all boys save for one girl. I somehow got along until we also moved into a neighborhood that was filled with girls my age whom I still know and celebrate to this day. With all my new friends I didn’t think much about Merrily anymore but in my heart I suppose that I would always remember her with her gentle dog, enchanting home, and strange situation with her parents. She would always be the first girl to whom I shared my secrets.
Life is filled with surprises. After a difficult journey to California and back my parents rented a house in a neighborhood not far from where I had once enjoyed the company of Merrily on Kingsbury Street. They chose the place because it was within walking distance of my father’s best friend, Lloyd Krebs. One day when I accompanied my father on a jaunt to Mr. Kreb’s home we suddenly encountered Merrily and her father walking that sweet pup that I remembered for his well behaved manners.
I was excited beyond belief and so was Merrily. Her father and mine talked for a bit while we hugged each other and promised to get back together whenever possible. Happily not long afterward I was in her now and again home with the same maid watching over her while keeping everything spotless. We had so much to talk about because we felt so much more grown up now that we were almost ready to complete Grade 3. We thought of ourselves as rather sophisticated young ladies and we planned playdates and sleepovers to last a lifetime.
Fate intervened once again when my father died suddenly and my mother chose to purchase a house for us in a far away neighborhood. I would never see Merrily again. I realized that I did not even know her last name and I never thought to ask my mother to help me find her. Somehow my life moved along without her and yet even many decades later I think of her and the sweet name that she had that was so perfect for her gentle and happy personality. I find myself wondering what happened to her and hoping that her life has been good. I don’t know if she felt the same way about me but I loved her. She was my very first best friend.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 