BEstFrienD

To have a best friend is what every person wants. Sometimes your best friend can be your “enemy” when it comes to the choice of hairstyle, nail color, designer bags, dresses and jeans, etc. Oftentimes though, you feel closer to him or her than your brother or sister. Sometimes also having a best friend is to sacrifice your emotions such as feelings you have for a guy. For example, you like this guy, the guy likes you, but unfortunately your best friend likes him too. Then you know the story… You give up your feelings for this guy so that your best friend is free to love him… blah… blah… blah. I just hope I will never experience this type of “love triangle”. I met my best friend and learned all about her, in an awkward kind of way.
I was in Grade 1 then. It was a week after the start of classes. We were in the middle of a class when all of a sudden there was a rap on the door. When our teacher opened it, I saw two boys and two girls. The girl standing at the corner caught my attention. She was a short, petite girl that had sharp eyes and one eyebrow up (taray!!). The teacher told us that they were our new classmates. I learned that the girl’s name was Leah Rose, aka YangYang. She came from Canduman Elementary School in Mandaue City. Later on I learned that we both like to draw and paint but her works were always better than mine. In fact she always get the “Best in Visual Arts” award during recognition rites at the end of the school year. I didn’t mind because I think that’s really her talent. As for me, drawing and painting are just diversions whenever I get bored. So, how did we become best of friends?

Right now, we still keep in touch with each other. Keeping in touch is not so difficult these days – with all the technology available (i.e. telephone, cellphone, e-mail). We often send letters to each other through my two younger brothers who go to the same school with her in the Mandaue City School for the Arts. She told me in her most recent letter that she qualified to join the National Schools Press Conference, Editorial Cartooning Category in Baguio City this coming February. Break a leg, Leah! Ooops, I think I strayed from the topic so lets go back. Where were we? Oh yes, how we became best friends and her love for the visual arts.
Leah loves to sketch more than anything else in the world. She sketches fashion dresses, girls with sexy outfits and matching handbags. When we were in Grade 1, we were always fighting with each other because I thought she was just a showoff, and I never failed to tell her so then. When we meet, she would always snub me (with a matching raised eyebrow). We never imagined ourselves being close to each other.
Everything changed in Grade 2. I cannot remember exactly how it started. Before we knew it, we were always together. I think our common love for the visual arts led to this special bonding. We both love to draw and paint. We attended our visual arts class together, ate lunch together, did our homework together, and made projects together. Both of us were also chosen to join the choir who would later on represent Region 7 to the NAMCYA. I was part of Soprano 2 group while she was part of the Alto group. Although we considered ourselves in the “best friend” category already, we still had fights, so that even my classmates were not convinced that we are best friends. I think that fighting is but part of every friendship. Our friendship went on and it went on strong. No one and nothing could break it.
Suddenly things changed on graduation day, when she knew I decided to transfer to UP High. She sent me a letter after our graduation, and it was a bitter one. She asked me why I never told her of my plan to transfer. She thought she and I will go through high school together still as best friends. She expressed her disappointment in me. Through a letter, I explained to her everything. I did not tell her of my plan to transfer because my final decision to transfer was made the day before graduation only. Besides, one person knowing about my plan to transfer would be enough for everybody else in school to know about it.
We are okay now. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we write each other letters every now and then. We don’t text; we just call each other on the telephone. Our friendship grew stronger even though we are apart. So as they say, the strength of a friendship is measured not on how many times you are together, but how you can keep a friendship strong even though you are apart.=)