Imagine a hug book. Maybe it's an unabridged dictionary. Maybe it's all the volumes of an encyclopedia combined. Imagine all the pages. If every page was a memory, I don't think an encyclopedia would be comparable to my mind. There is a page in my encyclopedia of memories. It's labeled Annapolis. In the past three months, I've practically memorized the words. The problem is, is that my book is written in washable ink and my tears smudge the lettering. My Annapolis section is read nearly every day either in its entirety or in part. It is worn and stains cover it, also blocking out bits of memories…but there are 15 faces I won't soon forget. My South African boys, my first and last friends at the United States Naval Academy Water Polo Camp. I wonder, sometimes, if their pages are as worn as mine, or if my face is set in time, frozen illustrations for my book hat time or tears won't fade. But, I know that when they need me, I'll be there. I'll be there, Greg, Jared, Solly, Mich, Tyron, Avis, Ant, Jamie, Reece, Jarry, Harry, Matthew, Chris, Craig and Nick. I'll be there, waiting for you, on the last page of a long forgotten chapter.
