Friends from Afar

Reconnecting, with an old friend from a long, long, long time ago, translated…

Before the lunar New Year’s, I’d carried my heart of gratitude, as I’d, visited my friends and families, to wish them a happy new year.

But, she’d, always, been the one missing.

She lived at the end of our alley, I, at the front. When we were young, she’d always knocked on my red door, waited for me to go to school together. And, being scatterbrained as I was, either that I’d, forgotten where I’d left my workbooks, or that I’d, forgotten what my homework assignment was for the day. Once, during a long break, I’d, forgotten my assignments, and in the end, I was, awakened, by her half-crazed calls, then, rushed out of bed, rushed, to school with her.

As I started in the same class as her, I’d not only, become a good kid who’d shown up to school on time, I’d even gotten, selected as the best student of the entire school.

As she was younger, she has a round cheek, didn’t have that outstanding appearance, but, I’d loved how shyly, she’d smiled. Naturally, how would I know, what “getting along well” mean? No matter how she’d, nagged me, I’d always enjoyed, tagging along.

With her around, school days were safe, and worry free. As the boys in class tossed her that note to meet, I’d felt strange, didn’t we see each other every day at school? Why would we need to hang out outside from school? And, the note was, thrown by me, into the trash, and, I’d, stared hard, at that tall and handsome boy who’d passed her the note in class too.

But, after middle school, my confidence and pride were, totally defeated, by that high school entrance exam. I didn’t want anybody to see how wounded or fragile I’d, become, and, distanced myself from everybody who knew me, including her too.

And now, at age over fifty, I’d missed her, at age fifteen.

Gladly, we have Facebook and LINE, and, the trends of getting reconnected rushed through the whole of Taiwan, we finally, got, reconnected again.

“I want to visit you in Taichung at the New Year’s, is that okay?”, she’d LINED me, having moved to Taipei.

As I sat and had afternoon tea with her, made sure, that she’d been all right, and that the connection was still, there, and, the friendships we had come to know so well, shall have a sequel, a third, a fourth……episode coming our ways.

And so, this, is how best friends should be, they don’t need to be with each other 24/7, but, they always keep each other in mind, and, when they’re, reconnected, it’s, like NO times or distance had passed between them, that they can, connect right where they once were again.