before i came to college, people would ask if i met my roomate yet and what she was like. well, i always giggled to myself because my roomate and i are actually best friends, and have been since the third grade. her name's allyson lucy reddy, but i've always called her ally.
here is an example of how we interact on a daily basis: yesterday we shared our final decisions about our halloween costumes. when i told her i was being a pin-up girl, she scolded me long and hard. as a woman's study major, she is starting to take feminism quite seriously, and disapproved of my decision to "objectify" myself. as if i would be the only one doing so on the 31st?! she then explained that she didn't have a desire to dress up as anything for halloween. being the spirited, bouncy one out of the two of us, i playfully threatened that i would not let her leave our dorm on halloween without dressing up. i urged her to be rosie the riveter to get back at me. needless to say, i took about 2 minutes for her scold to turn into a smile; off to the mall we went to get pieces for our costumes.
ally and i normally get along like two peas in a pod and have been virtually inseparable for ten years now. when we were young, we were very much alike. we liked the same music, tv shows, movies, clothes, and boys (this held some difficulty in middle school). as for now, we are vastly different than we used to be. we both have boyfriends (you know how that goes), we have different opinions on politics, different tastes in food (ally's vegetarian now), and a different perspective on life. she is more of a home-body, where i dream of traveling and living around the world. as for music and clothes, we still like the same ones!
as much as people frightened me with their "yikes" and "uh ohhh" when i mention to them that i am rooming with my best friend, it's been a blast so far. we are both familiar with each others habits and personalities, so everything goes very smoothly-don't get me wrong, it's certainly not always sunny in paradise. some days i cannot stand her and how much she talks to her boyfriend on the phone, when other days she can't stand my obnoxiously loud laughter while she's trying to study. the claws never stay out for long though, i promise.
i don't believe i could trade ally as a best friend or roomate for anyone else. when she's having a disastrous day and bursts through the door crying, i always jump up and bring her comfort with advice and tissues. and when it's me feeling blue, she never gives up on trying to cheer me up. here in college, where all my family and close friends are far, far away, having a best friend as a roommate is truly a gift.