.kristina.

Katie Bradley.

For the first 15 or so years of my life, one of my best friends was my cousin Kristina. Krissy, as I called her, was two years older than me but that never mattered as we got along great. Being the mischievous children we both were trouble was never far behind us. I can still hear family members yelling our names in succession throughout the neighborhood in search of us. Our families always met at my grandmothers house in Hershey for holidays, birthdays and regular weekend visits. These were times that I relished as a child and into my teenage years. As our conversation topics gradually changed over the years from games we could play to boys and music we loved, our friendship stayed ever strong.
Around the age of 14, Kristina’s mother and my Uncle were not getting along very well at all. A nasty divorce followed. Being that Kristina is not my Uncle’s (who is my mothers brother) child, she moved away with her mother. This ended our friendship that we had for so long. That is why when I got this assignment I knew that I wanted to try and reach Krissy. The last thing I had heard was that she is in the Air Force and stationed in Dallas.
After speaking with my cousin Alli who I have become increasingly close with and happens to be Krissy’s younger sister I learned some fascinating information. Initially I called Alli to try and get contact information on Kristina. Although, after a short time I learned that she is oversee’s with the Air Force. Therefore I figured I would talk to Alison and see what she could tell me about her sister.
Alli told me that she was not sure where exactly she is at this moment because she has been moved but was at one point in Iraq. She also informed me that she is married to a guy that she had been dating for 3 years (since she went to the Air Force) and is also in the service. I was taken aback by everything I heard and felt a mix of emotions. I was very proud of her for doing something that made her happy, and finding someone that makes her happy. She got out of the horrible family life that potentially could have doomed her if she had stayed with her mother. I felt scared for her safety and angry at myself for not knowing this about her earlier.
After learning everything I have about Kristina’s life after our friendship and family bond, I feel an overwhelming desire to contact her when she returns to the States. To show that I still care about her, and miss my friend.