Visit From an old Friend

The air conditioning was cold, and it felt like I was in the Arctic. We were at the last full show of Transformers in Megamall. Josh was on my right, and to my left my twin sis Tatat. We were seated too close to the screen (Tatat insisted, because she was nearsighted), and the images on the screen to me was gigantic and distorted. Probably because I was half-asleep.. or was I drunk? No, that happened later.

The faces of the blue-eyed actress and the cute nerdy guy swirled in my half-conscious state. The graphics were spectacular, but it was hardly enough to lift my eyelids. My hands were inside my T-shirt (I usually do this when I have no jacket and I’m extremely cold), and while my limbs were warmed by my torso, a few tendrils of cold still bit my leg. It was a bad time to wear shorts.

At last the movie was finished. We made our way to the exits hurriedly as we were to meet up with a few more friends before we head to Tat’s apartment. The strangest thing- it had been almost three years since Tat and I were together, since the time I transferred to the US track and after that deciding to quit and study, but it was as if those years had never been.

Nothing changed (except maybe that she gained a little weight, but heck, so did I!). I saw her breezing through the doors and it was as if we saw each other just the other day. It’s hard to explain- you know this feeling like when you left home to study in another place, then you come back after four years and the moment you step inside- it’s home! Familiar, warm, and comfortable. You are your old self again, and if there are any adjustments, it just takes seconds to get used to it.

We never run out of stories. From gossip- who’s dating who, who’s sleeping with who, who got the boot- to reminiscing (“Remember that guy I used to date...”), to new experiences, and more gossip. Perhaps it’s a sign of lasting friendship- that genuine fondness for each other, which no amount of separation could tarnish.

As I sit across from her, as she gestures while she’s talking (and waving a lit cigarette in her hand), I wonder- would we still be friends when we’re sixty? I’d bet on it.