Bestfriend
Filed Under Thoughts
I had quite a few. I remembered all my best friends since childhood. Probably because they are all way better looking than me. Ok, I am shallow, I pick my best friends based on their looks. I mean, who wants to walk around town with a fugly brood? Alrrrrrrrrriiiiigggggghhhhhtttttttt…I am only KIDDING, don’t eat me. The truth is, they were and still are.
My first best friend was when I was 12. Her name was Carolyn Yong. She was this Malaysian girl, 2 years younger, whom I met while in the States. She was still in grade school while I was in Middle School. We met by virtue of us being neighbours at the Indiana University campus apartments where my father and her mother studied at. Both of them were on full scholarships. She was really nice. She came up to my sister and I while we were playing at the playground and spoke to us in that heavy American accent. Granted she has been there longer than I have. Seems she has been there forever. We got along immediately. We were always together after school, during the summer (if neither of our families were travelling). She introduced me to the 3 Investigators series and we used to go around the campus investigating stuff/people.
I moved away from that apartment building a couple of months later. We used to tell each other all our secrets. Like who we like in school, who asked us to ‘go’ with whoever. SOme geeky boy from her school who used to follow her around the school like some lovesick puppy. She hated that. We spoke about everything.
Then, I had to leave the States for good. My dad has finished his course. I mentioned that she has been there forever right? Yup, she wasn’t about to leave anytime soon either LOL..We promised to write. It wasn’t a tearful farewell though. I guess I was happy to go home and she was happy for me that I am happy. She didn’t send me to the airport. How could she? She was only 10!! Then, I knew she was in good hands cos she has another best friend so she won’t be lonely. We promised to write. We did, for the first couple of months. She told me she too will be going home soon to Malacca and that her current best friend? Not so good. So, that makes me the best best friend eh? LOL..
At that time, my mother was pregnant with my baby sister. My dad named my sister Carolyn, after my best friend. When I told her that, she went “Oh, thats embarrassing”. hahh…I knew what she meant. It gave me a reason not to forget her I guess.
Her last letter to me was telling me her preparation to head back home after 5 years. She doesn’t know where she lived or where she was going to live. All she knew was that she was going back to Malacca. She promised to write when she reached Malaysia. I waited patiently for her letter of course. I never received any. I stopped receiving letters from her.
That was 20 years ago. I still remember then. They were fun times. They were great times.
