The long goodbye

Steffi is moving at the end of the week to Bruechkoebl (or something like that), which she tells me is near the middle of nowhere, but also not far from Frankfurt. I've known for awhile that she's moving, but even the long goodbye we started in December hasn't really prepared me for the actual absence. We've gotten to be pretty good friends since we had to face a really terrible 8th grade class together this fall, so I'm sad to see her go.
I'm not the only one, though. At Steffi's going away party the other night, Franzi (the girl with the mic) brought her band along and sang some goodbye songs while Steffi cried. Then we ate some cake and Franzi and I started to plan a trip (the first of many, I've been assured) to visit Steffi. Who ever thought I'd have an excuse to actually go to Frankfurt instead of just flying through?