Last week, I went to a party for my cousin. It had two purposes, the first being his birthday and the second being a going away party.

I first met my cousin, Andrew Collins, when I was in the 7th grade when my family and I decided that it would be best for me to be Bar Mitzvahed at the Conservadox synagogue. Conservadox is a term meaning half conservative and half orthodox. He and I became best friends. About a year later, we found out that the woman his grandfather married after his divorce was my cousin’s grandmother. He and I were so happy when we found this out.

My 8th grade year,  he was going out with this girl and I tagged along to a movie with them and we told her I was his cousin, this was all before we found out we were. About 6 months later, he and I got back from Colorado, where we went skiing for Winter Break. That night he threw a New Year’s Eve party and she was there, so since that had broken up already, we decided to break the news to her. She wasn’t too happy about it.

Tuesday was when he left to go to Utah with his parents. I texted him after I got done with camp to ask if he had left and he told me he was about to. I wasn’t going to get to see him since I had to go pick up my brother from work. When I got back to my parents store, I looked at my mom and just broke down. I hated the face that he was gone. I felt like I lost a part of me. He was my 1st true best friend. He and I are brothers. We talk about everything, from our friends to our families to girls to sports. He is one person that has always been there for me.

I’m going to miss going over to his house and playing knee hockey, making fun of our moms, and just being around each other.

Tuba, you’re my boy!