The misinterpretation from the receiver, that’s, caused the friendship to not last, but thankfully, many years later, explanations were, found, and, they’d, become friends again, translated…
Young Shunza was my neighbor from the elementary school years, my classmate, we’d, studied and played together, and, on the weekends, we’d gone out, to roast those, yams, to collect the clams from the creeks, to pick the longan fruits………we’d, spent a happy childhood together.
a gift to his best friend, his favorite toy…photo from online
And as we’d decided to move, I’d, told him, he’d, started, falling silent. On the day I moved, he’d brought over a box, said it was, a gift for me, something, to remember him by, but, as I’d, opened up that box, a snake, popped up into my sight—although it was, only, a plastic toy snake, it’d, looked like it was, a real one, I was so thrilled. Such a good friend of mine, he’d, started hating me, because I was about to move, then, we’d, stopped contacting one another.
It wasn’t until two years ago, I’d met back up with him on FB, and I’d, mentioned this to him, Shunza explained to me, “because I wasn’t willing to see you move away, so, I’d, given you my favorite toy, the long snake symbolized the long and winding nostalgia I’d felt toward your moving away.”
And, I’d started, beating myself up, for misunderstanding his intentions.
Thankfully, we were, able to, pick back up the friendship we’d left behind, and I no longer feel thrilled when I see snakes anymore either.
The lesson here is merely this: someone else may mean something entirely different from what you may perceive and interpret, so, it’s ALWAYS necessary, to cross check with the someone you’re interacting with, to make sure that you got what s/he meant, otherwise, you’d be like these two childhood friends, who’d, sever off contact, because the individual who moved away, misinterpreted his childhood best friend’s actions, but thankfully, through their reconnecting back on FB, everything was, cleared back up.
Life, the Obstacle Course 