Today is Becky’s birthday, so I will take you down memory lane in a very personal article, dedicated to one of my oldest friends. If you want to know more about the women behind All Too Creative, this is when you find out where we started and where we are.
The Beginnings
Becky and I met on Tumblr in 2014, and we quickly realised how well we got along. We were both thirteen at the time, and each going through our own issues, but we found refuge in each other despite the distance between us. I lived in Belgium, Becky lived in the Netherlands, which doesn’t seem that far but since we were so young, we couldn’t travel to each other as we wanted. Plus, Becky moved to the UK not long after, which made meeting even more impossible (thanks to the English channel, the bane of my existence).
We bonded over Taylor Swift and Halsey, in true 2014 fashion (with that being said, we’re both still fans of the two singers, so it wasn’t at all a phase). On top of that, we were supportive of each other’s interests — Fifth Harmony for me, Grey’s Anatomy for Becky.
Speaking of Fifth Harmony, I had realised a few months earlier that I liked girls, and identified as bisexual at the time. Becky realised the same, so there was a certain fear and uncertainty we shared, and the support that we had for each other was unmovable. I was terrified of how my mom would react, and Becky wasn’t sure either how her family would react. One of us had a better coming out moment than the other, but there was never resentment because we had our friendship to lean on.
Growing Together while Being Apart
Becky and I got in the routine of calling on Skype at least once a week. We would get to see each other then, and speak to each other about events that were too long to tell over message.
We did everything we could to feel closer, from realising how similar our blankets were and taking a screenshot of us with them, to me messaging Becky from a trying room in a store to know whether I should buy these specific clothes or leave them. In short, we had a friendship like any other teenage girls, except we were apart.
Impactful Milestones
Besides these moments, there were other milestones we shared with each other. Coming of age in the Tumblr era, that was very much reflected in our fashion styles. We tried our best to fit in with the trends, but with limited access to the clothes we wanted, there was only so much we could do. Becky was also there as I dyed my hair for the first time, a jet black that would reflect my state of mind.
At the same time, our passion for art was developing. I was into painting, Becky was into drawing, and we would share each other’s progress. Looking back, Becky was advancing much faster than I did, as my paintings still lacked personality and above all, perspective. It didn’t matter though, we were still supportive and that’s what we needed as two young girls for whom the world was not as kind.
Meeting In Person
After almost a year of talking to each other online, we planned to meet in Brussels on October 4th 2014. Becky was visiting with her family, and I asked my mom to accompany me to Brussels. I was still a fourteen year-old, so a day was what we got. We planned to meet at the train station, and we even have a video thanks to Becky’s sister, Abbie!
It was a sunny day in October, almost as if the sun was there for us to have a good day. I remember seeing Becky for the first time and being in awe that she was real. Even though we had constant video calls, it was a whole other sensation to see your long distance best friend in person for the first time. We hugged and we walked around the city, taking pictures in the famous Grand Place.
We went shopping too, had coffee, and generally enjoyed each other’s presence. We found a photo booth and took pictures which we would break in two, each one of us keeping a half. I gave Becky one of those “best friends” necklaces, so we would have matching jewelry to remember that day, and our friendship.
It was a beautiful day that I still treasure in my memories, and I’ve kept all the proof of that day becoming reality.
Parallel Stories
This article is not the first time I’ve written for Becky’s birthday. After we met, I’ve written a short story for Becky’s sixteenth birthday. The story named “In Search of Happiness” had fictionalised versions of ourselves, as I tried to show how much our friendship influenced my life from my point of view.
At the end of the short story, I’ve written a letter to Becky, and there’s one particular paragraph that stands out to me:
I start the story with the miserable feeling of despair. Despair is the absence of hope. Because that’s how I really was before I met you. Then after I began talking to you, you notice there’s one feeling that keeps coming back. Hope. You transformed the negative emotion that took over my life into the one I was searching for, and that’s more than I could ask for. You made me realize life is worth the living. You made me realize I’ll meet better people. You made me believe in my dreams, even when everyone convinced me they weren’t going to happen. Because of you, I have hope I’ll become an actress. I have hope I’ll open an art gallery. I have hope I’ll start a band with you and Abbie, and we’ll make amazing music. I have hope I’ll do well at my art school.
Growing Apart
Around 2017, when Becky finished high school, we drifted apart without any reason. Sometimes, friendships do that without there being a fight or reason why that happened. We had known each other since thirteen, and we were now eighteen. We were different people now, but that didn’t change what our friendship brought to me. Besides, we were in good terms, and we still talked on the occasion of graduations, birthdays, and other important events that we only had knowledge of from afar.
We shared pictures of our respective pets, Oscar and Maya, as we were in wonder at how cute they were. We followed each other on Instagram, and I discovered one of my favorite singers, Maisie Peters, through Becky’s stories. We still supported each other in our endeavours. There was still so much love between us, and that love would persist throughout time.
Finding Us Again
Becky and I started talking much more in recent years, which is what allowed me to ask if I could join her in working on the website. Since then, we’ve been talking on the daily. We’re adults now but I’m happy to discover we’ve grown into good people, who are still kind and supportive towards the other. Ours is a story of hope and perseverance.
Happy birthday, Becks.
With love, Vonnie
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