The Story of a Friendship

June 11, 2026 | My Jottings

I wrote this poem at least thirty years ago as a gift to my childhood bestie Denel. It has inside jokes only she and I would recall, and it’s certainly pretty cheesy at times, but it still brought a tear to both of us when I gave it to her decades ago.

On May the 19th in the year ’57
A baby was sent from our Father in Heaven
God’s choice for her parents was Millie and Eddie
Were they up for the job? Did they feel they were ready?

They named her Denel Andrea Lupiani
And it soon was apparent her gifts were uncanny
Her brother was Brian, he liked to be silly
He loved to distract and to tease his mom Millie

They lived in a house that was six blocks from mine
How our friendship began we now know was divine
In our second grade class we adored Mrs. Lokken
From that fateful time on we just never stopped talkin’

We learned to say “Rabbit!” that second grade year
And as time quickly passed it was more and more clear
That aside from the basics in that Workman School class
We were given a friendship that was destined to last

Now life in Denel’s house was always exciting
Since we were best friends, we were always inviting
Each other to stay overnight just for fun
The times that we shared, they were second to none

In Denel’s girlish room there were “mods” on the walls
And Millie’s “Ayyyy-HOOO!” could be heard through the halls
“Oh, Mwillllie!” Eddie would call to his wife
These are just glimpses of their everyday life

In the house there on Rowland, with the drive freshly tarred
Eddie’s hopscotch on the patio, whirlybird in the yard
Sometimes Uncle Don would come whisk us away
In his blue Barracuda to Malibu for the day

Or else he would take us to Los Feliz Towers
Where on New Year’s Eve we watched fireworks for hours
To bang on some pans to the balcony we’d go
And we watched as our spit hit the ground far below

One incredible evening, Denel’s Uncle Don
Took us to see Ringo, Paul, George and John
The crowds were all screaming, they were up on their feet
But I was just dreaming right there in my seat

My dad had just moved out and things were unstable
The concert was magic but I was not able
To fully enjoy what a little girl should
So I prayed for my parents as hard as I could

When we were young girls we were always together
We squabbled and argued, but that could not sever
The bond that we had, the love that we shared
The laughs that we laughed, the souls that we bared

Ice cream we licked after each Sunday School
At Eastland we shopped, all alone, to look cool
Disneyland, Morro Bay, and Ports o’ Call
Swims at The Plunge, photo booths at the mall

Driving to take a San Diego vacation
“Spilling our load,” an unwelcome citation

Little guy Brian then dropping the bomb:
“Go shake your curly head at that cop, Mom!”

Headgear, retainers and silvery braces
Anxious for makeup to put on our faces
Carpinteria and Girl Scouts, ice skating
Camisoles, when for our bras we were waiting

Hiding in bushes while at Echo Park
Shocking the old folks with “Psssst!” for a lark
“Ibontanabul!” we learned from her brother
Saying “Uh Chawlie hossie, uh Chawlie hoss” was another

Going to Rose Bowls, and reading Nancy Drew
Plans for a business we’d call “LupiSoo”
“Stairway to Heaven” and crashing the car
And Mr. LoPiccolo fixing the mar

Crushes on boys and hoping they’d like us
Changing our minds when a new love would strike us
Barry and Danny and good ol’ Duane
Loving the fun times and hating the pain

Wendy Ward Modeling School, getting glasses
Hoping we’d get into each others’ classes
Concerts and music, Elton John’s “Amoreena”
The world was all ours there in dull West Covina

I had Duchess and Buffy for pets, She had Yuki
Sleek, black Sebrena and Jess, who was kooky
And some in our families were kookier still
(With some of them lately we’ve been through the mill)

Making my mom mad because of our trick
We didn’t know that the buzzer would stick
Monkee Club meetings, our “Mod Squad” pretending
Phone conversations that seemed never-ending

Soon came our teen years and then we were driving
Going to high school, for A’s we were striving
I had an Opel, Denel drove a bug
To games on the weekends our friends we would lug

Denel worked at Judy’s, then Covina Valley Schools
While collating papers we giggled like fools
Trips to the beach where I fried in the sand
I doctored blisters, Denel always tanned

Then Denel came to know Jesus as Savior
Right about this time was when my behavior
Began to erode and I made some bad choices
His words, they were fading; I heard other voices

Our paths didn’t cross quite as much as before
Denel went to college; a white dress I wore
I birthed two sweet daughters, we all moved abroad
Too soon we were home, that sly guy was a fraud

But when friendship goes deep it will not come apart
And despite our new lives, we were joined at the heart
I married Michael and moved far away
Denel and Ken Wrede, they soon had their day

Even in tragedy God shows His love
We don’t understand just what He thinks of
Ken was soon taken, Denel was alone
I heard the news from afar, on the phone

Denel came to visit, she met my third child
She came when Duluth was in Spring, fairly mild
We picked up right where we had last left things off
When she told me of Jerry, I sure didn’t scoff

Soon the sparkle returned to her eyes of deep brown
And Denel once again donned a gorgeous white gown
She and Jerry were one, God restored what was taken
Reassuring us all that we’re never forsaken

Then came the day, the contractions kept coming
The nurse laughed and told me “she’s got indoor plumbing!”
Nicole made her entrance, the clone of her mother
Then Christopher Dillon became Nicole’s brother

It’s been 60-plus years since Denel and I met
For priceless, sweet memories I owe her a debt
We’ve lines round our eyes, my knees they are creaking
We’re so far apart, geographically speaking

And even though 2000 miles stands between us
Through valleys and mountains our Father has seen us
He’s kept us together in spirit and heart
He crafted our friendship back then, from the start

Will we see our nineties? Will we be here then?
Will I still be able to pick up a pen?
The Lord knows the time of our last living breath
One thing that we know…we’ll be friends until death.