Kiss

I am not known for being emotionally open with very many people, so being friends with Chelsea was like therapy for me. Up until I became close friends with Chelsea I had never had a friend who was also a girl. I remember when we were just beginning to be very close, one night we ended up being alone on the tan couch in the Hales basement. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but it occurred to me that this was the first time that I had been in a situation like that in my life…where I was unsupervised with a young lady, whom I was not trying to make out with. I remember feeling totally comfortable in the moment, and then I remember out of nowhere Chelsea leaning over and kissing me on the mouth. The whole idea of having a girl as a friend could have been compromised at that moment, but it wasn’t. Chelsea’s kiss was immediately recognized for what it was, a sign of affection from a close friend. Everyone else that I knew had stopped the practice of kissing their pals at about age five, or six, but not Chelsea. I admire the courage she had to always do and say what she was feeling, and the love and friendship that she shared with me that night is what I miss about Chelsea the most.

Chelsea never bought into the adolescent idea that you have to try to grow up as fast as you can. She showed affection like a child. I loved running into her unexpectedly and seeing her face light up the way my son’s does (sometimes anyway) when I’ve been away. There was pure honesty in her eyes that made me feel so loved. Chelsea is remembered for being kind, smart, a free spirit, a wonderful friend and many more things. I admire all of those qualities as well, but what I remember most is how she made me feel whenever I was lucky enough to be near her. Chelsea Hale is one of my best friends and I absolutely love her, and I am so grateful for her smile and embrace that showed that she absolutely loved me too.

Jared Mann