When I moved into Peace House, Casey and I didn’t instantly hit it off. We were both a little unsure and shy. Which is funny, because I don’t think either of us are. I was taking in the rhythms of the home and found that Casey used fewer words than his very chatty housemates, but he never missed a beat. I felt a real, genuine connection to Casey as a sometimes quiet observer. I think we both appreciated communicating in moments of shared glances and laughs.
Casey is known for being a prankster. In my previous community, I had a reputation for being a goofball. One afternoon, I showed Casey some videos of old pranks I had pulled, and immediately we locked eyes and had the same thought: Who should we prank right now?! Using the power of filters, Casey recorded a scary pirate message to send to his parents, demanding treasure. The video was fantastic! We’ve pulled many pranks since then and have also enjoyed dancing during our regular kitchen raves, watching silly comedies, and attacking each other with pillows.
While we have so much fun together, we have also had a multitude of trust-building and vulnerable moments. One day, I came home feeling pretty stuck in my head. Every day, Casey says, “Hi Sav, how are you?” But this day he said, “Hi… best friend! How are you?” Before I could answer his question, I asked, “Best friends? Casey, are we really?” And he gave a firm, “Yes!” I started to cry, as I am pretty emotional, and Casey gave me a huge hug. Then he grabbed a tissue and very gently wiped my eyes. He was so kind and caring, as he always is. Shortly thereafter, I realized he had grabbed a used tissue from the coffee table. “Ew, Casey! Not a used tissue,” I yelled. Casey smiled the biggest grin I had ever seen. We both sat on the couch belly laughing for the next ten minutes.
Moments like these have strengthened my friendship with Casey and become some of my most meaningful experiences at L’Arche Chicago.
