Kola.
A simple word, really. Not English, not a misspelling of the beverage, but one of the Lakota. Its meaning?
Well, I'll let Lame Deer, medicine man of the Lakota Nation, do the honors.
"Friend. White people use this term lightly. Maybe you don't know what real friendship is. The young men who vowed to become a kola to one another would almost become one single person. They shared everything- life and death, pain and joy, the last mouthful of food... They had to be willing at all times to give their lives for each other."
Lame Deer speaks only of male-male bonds, but I am convinced that male-female can exist. How do I know? I've seen it.
When I graduated college, I was king of the hill. Bachelor's with Honors,
cum laude on top of that, interviews to medical school, I had it all.
Then, it crumbled. My Midas touch turned to dust. No shot at medical school this time. Close, but no cigar. Stuck doing courses I didn't want to do, to have a crack at 2006. I posted to a message board I frequent, and asked advice.
A friend answered the call. Through posts on there and emails, she talked me out of my funk, and started helping me get my confidence back. Then, in April, we met for lunch.
It was strange. Not like meeting someone new at all, but like seeing an old friend. We talked like we'd known each other for years, and when we parted, I felt a deep sadness tempered with joy. I had found a friend, and a good one. She couldn't stay that day, but I still had found a friend.
I helped her cope with a failing marriage, encouraging therapy and doing all I could to try and help. Through it all, though, I didn't realize the most important thing that was going on.
I was falling in love.
One day, we kissed, and that sealed it. Looking deep in her eyes, I saw love as clear as the sunlight and as pure as fine gold.
Now, I stand on the border, looking out into the great Unknown. Medical school applications again, interviews coming soon, but this time, I have my kola by my side. This time, I am loved.
Whom might this be? The reader doubtlessly knows.
Bainwen, my kola, I love you.