In October 2022, during my first year at Middlebury, I visited one of my best friends from high school for the last time in New Hampshire.
Despite cancer weakening his body, his eyes still shone with strength. We had a normal and lighthearted conversation for an hour before he had to rest.
I told him we all loved him and cared about him very much, and his last words to me were “I know.”
Author's summary: Coping with loss at Middlebury College.