We lived on the same city block. You had an air hockey table and HBO and we always stayed up late at your house. I would invite you when my mother made pasta and we ate until our bellies looked like they might pop.
We worked hard at our pursuits. You got the lead in the school play and everyone agreed you stole the show. I played basketball and guarded the other team’s best player all season long.
We drifted apart. You saw every good band at the Mann over the summer. I took SEPTA to the Vet and bought Phillies tickets for seven bucks a piece.
We changed our minds countless times. You wanted to be a performer, then a restaurateur, then a playwright. I wanted to be an investment banker without knowing what that meant, then a social worker, then a psychologist.
We came to desire familiarity. You met a girl and convinced her to join you in your move back to Philly, where you became a teacher. I went to Temple and continued living in my college apartment a few years following graduation, working for Aramark.
We reconnected and now our toddlers play together. Your son constantly tries to hug and kiss my daughter, sometimes knocks her over. My daughter likes to bring your son food, even when he’s not hungry.
This is a sweet, slice of life piece. I like it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen!
DeleteThat ending was particularly endearing and cute. Though I'd like to know who grows up wanting to be an investment banker!
ReplyDeleteHi, John! Though it's not clear in the story, I meant for that segment to occur around the time they were in college. At that age, I personally knew a lot of people who claimed to want to be i-bankers without really knowing what those guys do. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteI love the last lie. It is just what toddlers do and is a touching ending to the piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Justin, and it's good to know you found that last line accurate with regard to toddler play.
DeleteA lovely insight into a lasting friendship. Loved that last paragraph - another generation of friends. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Natalie, and welcome! Thanks for your comment and I hope you stop by again soon.
DeleteLoved it, a friendship formed as children that lasts a lifetime, to repeat itself again with their own children.
ReplyDeleteThis was so heartwarming, in a world where we live where people treat each other as disposable commodities, dropping one friend for a new one.
Thanks, Helen, for the detailed comment. I agree with your point about the way we generally treat one another nowadays, and I've always felt that having just a few very close friends in our lives upon whom we can rely is worth a thousand who would treat us like commodities.
DeleteSweet. What a nice little slice of life.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim! Always an honor to hear from you here.
DeleteQuite a touching piece, it's always nice when old friends re-unite, and discover the friendship is still alive and strong.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated, Steve. I agree about reuniting with old friends, it can be a great thing (though it doesn't always work out, that's for sure).
DeleteReally nice piece - glad to see they reconnected after all those years.
ReplyDeleteHi, Icy, and thank you for the comment, so glad you liked this one.
DeleteGreat short about old friends the passage of time and how peoples' lives change..but above all a lovely testament to the enduring qualities of solid relationships. Lovely casual style that reveals so much.
ReplyDeleteHi, Tom! Thanks very much for stopping by and leaving a comment, great to hear from you, and thank you for your kind words about the style of this piece.
DeleteIt truly read like a piece of memory, a stroll down memory lane put on paper. I liked that very much. I felt included in this piece of the narrator's life. It felt intimate.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, thank you! I'm so happy you felt included in the narrator's life, that's what I was hoping a reader would feel.
DeleteThat is wonderful and super sweet story.
ReplyDeleteThe friendship can last for ever, indeed.
Thank you, Aschatria, and I agree with you about friendships, it's rare and it takes work, but they can last.
DeleteI was worried when you said, "We drifted apart" but then it all came together so beautifully - what a nice view into a lasting friendship.
ReplyDeleteHi, Brinda, thank you for your kind comments, and I love reading that this one came together for you.
DeleteSweet story but really didn't move me like past stories. I understand relationships drift apart and come back together, I relate to that, but I think too simplistic.
ReplyDeleteHi, Linda, fair enough! I hope you like the next one better.
ReplyDelete