Good-time Friend

Good-time Friend



Hummin': Broken (Chorus) by Robert Downey Jr.

There he was.

After almost two months of not seeing him, eventhough we go to the same school and attend the same church, there he was, standing and smiling widely at me.

I nodded towards him. He waved back.

I thought, "Aba, he's friendly today." Afterthoughts of my bitterness over our spoiled friendship came back to me in huge waves, but I shrugged it off. I was no longer hung up on that hurting memory anymore. I accepted the fact that he had outgrown me.

The program ended. People stood up and walked towards the exit. I joined in the crowd, chatting with my bestfriend as we went along. The next thing I knew, an arm was looped around my shoulder.

"Abiiii!" He ecstatically said, pinching my right cheek at the same time. "Tagal na natin 'di nagkita ah!" (We haven't seen each other for so long!)

"Onga eh." I replied, much less enthusiastic, but smiling nevertheless.

"Punta ka sa *toot*?" (Are you going to *toot*?) He asked me.

I shrugged, "Not sure yet."

"Punta ka na!" (Go!) He insisted.

"Bakit ka ba excited masyado? Atat ka eh!" (Why are you so excited? You're itching to go!) I joked. It's been a while since I've even felt the slightest hint that he was missing our company, his old friends.

And then, the clincher. "Wala ako kasama eh... Hehehe!" (I have no one to go with.) He answered, smiling from ear to ear, unknowingly bursting the bubble I just created.

With that, I removed his arm and said, "We'll see." I then walked away, back to my good ol' friends.

He has outgrown me. People were right when they said he was only my friend during the good times, but I didn't want to believe it back then. He was, after all, who I thought was my best guy friend. But now, I'm finally seeing it clearly for myself.

It's very sad to see a falling out, but I learned that it was even harder to be the one who had to go through it. It's like telling a person, "You're going to be fine." after he suffered a tragic loss. You blurt it out mechanically in an attempt to comfort him. But if you were in his place, those words would disappear into thin air in a second, while you would seriously doubt if you were ever going to be fine again.

I have learned my lesson after seeing him for who he really, truly is. It's just sad in that upcoming "good time" we always used to enjoy together, I won't be standing there beside him.