Kiss My Knits!

Here’s a story I haven’t told before.

In 2002 at Simucon, in order to save a few bucks, I roomed with three other GMs. One of them was GM Mroce. This is her. She’s sitting still for a henna tattoo on her neck. The picture is taken from Taffei’s site so thank you, Taffei.

We all got along like gangbusters. We giggled into the wee hours of the morning like we were at at an over-the-hill slumber party. The one with whom I felt the deepest connection, though, was GM Mroce. We got along great, had similar views on life, and generally meshed the best. I found myself grinning a lot just being around her.

We all finally drifted off to sleep late that first night, only to be awakened at six in the morning by a misplaced wakeup call from the desk. Things were somewhat more subdued at that point, but we were all still sleepily smiling. That day, we went off our separate ways. And something unexpected happened. There was A Guy. Leave it to A Guy to get between friends. Two of us fancied him, Mroce and another roommate, but of course only one could have him. So that night, we were minus a musketeer as one of us went off to be with The Guy.

Mroce was feeling kind of down, late at night. She was older than the other woman, and having a bit of a hard time recently, and I think she just felt a little depressed.

And that’s when I did something so out of character and shameful that I swore her to secrecy on the matter.

I left a six am wakeup call for The Guy. The Guy who was, of course, with our friend. A friend, I might add, who was on my GM team. The team I led.

So much for my reputation as a nice lady.

The thing is, it worked! Mroce’s spirits were instantly lifted and we were whooping and hollering for the rest of the night. When we finally drifted off, she was smiling. And the next day at breakfast, when our friend, bleary-eyed, shook her head and mentioned that she’d gotten another freakin’ six am wakeup call, we both gave Oscar-worthy performances as people who were shocked – shocked! – to learn of such a thing.

The person who got the wakeup call reads this journal. I apologize to you for your lack of sleep that night, but I honestly have to say that I’ve never been sorry for what I did. It made Mroce so happy that your lack of sleep and my embarrassment over having been so evil feel like a small price to pay.

The next year, we made a point of sharing a room, just the two of us. The times I spent with her at Simucon were easily the best times I had there. I ran into her a few times over the years after she left staff. But the thing is, although we very seldom saw each other, I never felt like we drifted apart. She always had a special place in my heart and I have always considered her to be a good friend.

When I heard she had breast cancer, I immediately called. It was like we’d never been apart. I sent a gift that called back something from her 2002 Simucon visit, which she greatly appreciated. And I rejoiced when she sailed through chemo and came out the other side with flying colors.

She and a friend and I met in Raleigh for a craft show meeting. Mroce hit a quilting shop on the way down and we had a great time shopping for handmade things. Afterward, we all tossed M&Ms into each others’ mouths, a time-honored tradition for my other friend and myself but new for Mroce. She did great.

Over the last few weeks, I’d been thinking about calling Mroce again. It’d been a while since I’d talked to her, and I missed her. Unfortunately, I was usually on the road when it would occur to me, and it would get pushed to the side again once I got home.

Today I got the news that her cancer is back. She’s strong and she’s a fighter, but this time they say she’s down and it doesn’t look like she’s getting back up again. I’m waiting for it to get late enough in the morning to call the hospital. I told my husband the news this morning, and, God love him, he immediately said he’d get time off so I could go up to visit. Mroce is loved by many, many people, so I want to be sure first that she’s not overwhelmed with visitors already.

Mroce is a beautiful, smart, generous, kind, funny, vivacious person. I usually joke around and say everybody should be more like me and then all our problems would be solved, but the truth is, everyone should be more like her. Gracious, spiritual, thoughtful, and centered, but also fun-loving and mischievous.

Pat, I love you like crazy and I’m so glad you’re in my life. No doubt hearing this would provoke an eye-roll and a laugh, but when I grow up, I want to be just like you. Thank you for being my friend.