Unearthed Photo: Where Do Lost Friends Go?

Can We Find Our Old Friends? Should We?

The Unearthed Photo images are for everyone. The stories that go with the images are for paid subscribers. Whichever you are, thank you for being here. I hope you enjoy it!

Who can resist a profiterole cake? Not Barbarita and certainly not me!

Barbarita was my best friend during the year my mom, dad, and I lived in New York. Her name was Barbara, but that was a daunting name for a three-year-old to carry, so I always think of her by her nickname: Barbarita. I don’t know by what name Barbarita thinks of me. If she thinks of me at all. She may have forgotten me. And yet, she was the first friend I ever had. A beloved friend I met in 1980 and whom I haven’t seen in four decades. Sometimes I wonder if I should try to find her. What would we gain from such a meeting? What would we lose? The legacy of one’s earliest friendships is precious, almost sacred—and Barbarita left quite a legacy.