Falling

Brandon

Brandon or B- Rad, as I call him, became my best friend when I was 18. He had dark hair and light eyes, and he was the funniest guy I know.

He was just like me but a boy version, and I had never met anyone like it before him.

He adored my son (at the time, I only had one child), and my son also loved him. We would always tell him that he was his uncle Brandon. But if you saw us in public, you'd swear we were a couple. His smile and laugh alone could light up a room. Brandon and I began hanging out all the time we were inseparable. My great-grandmother had died in the summer of 2011, and he was there for me in a heartbeat. My mother and I didn't have a car at the time, so we borrowed my aunts. One of the back windows would always stick, and of course, it happened again. Brandon and I tried to fix it, but it shattered instead; needless to say, they weren't happy. We laughed so hard because we didn't think we could break it, but these things happened.

I was never steered in the wrong direction when it came to him. He always knew how to cheer me up or reassure me that I would be great in life, and I had my son look up to me above anything else. Just as he was a great friend to me, I was to him as well. My mom and I had moved after my grandma had passed, and he helped along with my friend Ronnie. Those two were a trip together and were my close friends through thick and thin.
He would stay the night with me and always visit whenever he was able. A girl Brandon liked and talked to for years, I knew her as well, was lying the whole time. Total catfish! But it upset him, and I was the only person he could run to because nobody else would understand.

We have the friendship you see in movies, except the best friends don't fall for each other.

He taught me a lot growing up, and if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be going where I'm going with my life. Brandon's part doesn't stop here; we will fast forward to eight years later.

"Hey Siri, play I swear this time I mean it by Mayday Parade."

June 2019
Eight years later and he is still my best friend, just as he was when I was 18.

Brandon ended up marrying my neighbor! He lied to his parents about her age because she was much younger than him. But once it came out, it wasn't as big of a deal as they thought it would be.

I was probably the happiest girl for him at their wedding because she was always beautiful and he deserved someone to love him for who he is.

Although, a few years prior, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Brandon called me while I was at work to tell me about the prognosis, and I lost it. I felt like a piece of my heart broke for him because of whatever pain he felt. He was so broken I could tell, but somehow he managed to hold it all together, and he inspired me.

He inspired me in ways nobody else could.

I knew since meeting him that I needed to better myself. I had no job, no car, no license, no diploma, all things you need, especially when you have kids of your own. He made me want to be a better me and prove everyone wrong.

I looked up to him, and I still do; he may not ever have known that, but he was my guiding light. I cannot thank him enough for pushing me to do my best. I hope he thinks of me and our memories and doesn't forget them.