Tiffani

Yesterday, I attended a remembrance for my friend Tiffani Willis. She passed away a few months ago. We went to law school together. Lived together as roommates for a year. I will miss her so. 

She was such a good friend. I usually consider myself a pretty good friend. Usually I am. Not this time. 

Because I hadn't seen Tiffani in a few years. What with Covid and life, I hadn't reached out for a while in person. We used to meet in LA for lunch periodically. Have sandwiches and talk about life, books, and music.

Instead, for the last few years, we kept up on social media. Occasionally, I messaged her. Knew she was a librarian. She had quit corporate law to follow her bliss. Her bliss was books. Always. She went to UCLA for library school. It made complete sense. I admired her for it. To remake yourself in your forties is not easy, but she did it. With grace. She was so brilliant and a fantastic lawyer. but also a creative. 

Tiffani was also a wonderful writer. You could see it in her blog posts on passport books. She wrote about so many books. Beautifully wrought discussions and in depth reviews of an eclectic mix of books. 

So when my memoir came out I messaged her. I told her I'd love to see her at my book party at the Garcia Center. And she came. Walked in with long colorful braids. I hugged her tight and got misty eyed and wept to see her and my other roommate Bridget there along with our law school buddy Katherine. It meant so much to have her there. 

In retrospect, seeing her that last time was everything to me. So thank you Tiffani for being a great friend to me for all those years. For being a wonderful person. A terrific lawyer and teacher. A dear friend to Maggie Hall and so many others. A stellar academic. A beloved daughter to your mom Sjeanay, a supportive big sister to Tocarra and an awesome auntie to her daughter. You are loved. You are missed. We all know that. The world shines a little less bright now. I hope you're snuggled in a corner reading a book in the big library in the sky friend.