friendship
C.S Lewis got it right: friendship is born when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"
Never Alone
Ten year old Noah is quiet but nice boy. He never stirs any commotion or strays to far from his Pa's farm. Unfortunately he has no friends and is usually the butt of the jokes and pranks at school. One day Noah and his dog Kole are going down to the creek to go fishing and Noah has the perfect spot picked out to enjoy a good day. The spot is something to behold. Grass greener than a painter can imagine. The grass so green and fluffy you can't help to walk barefoot on it. The trees hang just over the flowing water and cast a nice light and shadow ratio. The moss from the trees hangs just above the water and creates a beautiful view that young Noah loves to go to and sometimes just watch the Largemouth Bass swim out and enjoy the day. Today is different for Noah. Today he is not going to bask in the pleasant view. He is going to catch those bass and bring them back to his Pa for supper. Noah's plan is fool proof he knows that his Pa will be happy to see him have put forth such an effort out his own will. With all of his tackle and rod he marches down to the creek in full glee. Kole running around happy to be around for the adventure. Noah gets up to the spot plops down and gets to getting his rod and reel ready to make the first cast. For some reason Kole will not stop barking. Noah turns around to scold the poor dog but notices a boy about is age standing in the shadows of the nearby Oak tree. Noah says "You dirty ain't ya?". The boy says back "yeah and what of it." Noah taken back a little by the harshness in the boy's voice says "hey whats a matter with you? I ain't done nothin to ya. who are you?" The boy says "Im Ash." in a lower more sorrow tone. Noah says "why don't ya jump in down yonder and clean off then come back up here to fish with me." Ash says "why would I fish with you? We don't know each other and you only gots one rod and reel." Noah says "well it looks like you ain't got no friends and all I gots is a dog and he don't talk much." Ash slowly get his clothes off. He then slowly walks into the water and cleans himself up all the while his head is hung so low his chin might as well be touching his chest. Finally Ash makes it up to the spot and Noah says "alright you can go first" and passes the rod and reel to Ash. The boys make eye contact and smile. The two young boys fish all day and catch nothing. Noah gets his things together and asks Ash if he would want to come to his house for supper. Ash says "really? you want me to come over and eat?" Noah says "well yeah your my friend now and Pa won't mind seeing as it is always just me and him." The two boys make it home and Pa is delighted that they tried to catch food for them but he was prepared regardless. As they all sit down to eat all smiling and happy both boys think to themselves "I made my first friend today."
By John Wright5 years ago in Humans
Booze
I’ve lost track of all the times someone has asked me why I don’t drink. Not many find themselves jimmying open a window just to sneak into a fraternity ABC kegger without some form of liquid courage. Despite that, four of my ruffian friends and I squeezed through and joined the party. Not long after I found myself flirting with a first year wearing a two-piece made of sour candies. This was all topped off with a hasty escape once one of those friends decided to steal the keg and walk through the front door with it. Chaos ensued.
By Caleb Waddell5 years ago in Humans
alone no more
hello, my name is alayna, but sometimes, i accidentally refer to myself as alone-na. i’ve always considered it an accidental slip of the tongue, but as i grow older and get to know myself better, i think it’s my subconscious trying to grab ahold of my attention.
By alayna doyal5 years ago in Humans
Red or White?
The idea of a book club materialized over drinks with a few fellow teachers almost twenty five years ago. Each of us recruited a friend or two and the rest, as they say, is history. One evening a month, like clockwork, we come together at a different member’s home. With such a long history, a number of changes and evolutions have taken place in our structure and routines. However, one constant remains. Whenever I arrive at Book Club, the hostess will reliably, predictably, and faithfully greet me with the question: “Red or white?” These three simple words melt away the stress of the day, or even month. They are a signal that I am among friends and the next couple of hours will be nourishing mentally, spiritually and physically.
By Kerrie More5 years ago in Humans
Why Say You're Fine When You're Not!
Many of us are willing to exchange pleasantries when we pass each other while walking in the countryside, or a nod and they exchange a few friendly words, in a familiar environment or social setting. We laugh a lot when we ask the question: "Hi, how are you?", followed often by merely going through the motions for a simple "I'm fine, thank you, how's it going with you?"
By Sanjay Singh5 years ago in Humans
Dancing with Africans
I drove up to Portland, OR from Berkeley, California on a whim. I had just gotten out of a stormy relationship and needed to get away from my ex and all our friends. Even though I had a Bachelor's in Cognitive Science, I could not find work in my field immediately. My Chinese parents called and texted me all the time, worried sick that I had not set myself up for success after college, but I had saved up money from working as a canvasser in Berkeley and did not intend to die in the streets.
By Renzhi Zhou5 years ago in Humans
A night I wish I could forget.
A time when I just didn’t quite fit in? Not as easy as it sounds, since I’ve felt that I never work in all my life. Whether it was with family, friends, strangers, or anywhere in general, I’m an outcast. Funny, my main friend group labeled themselves as outcasts, making me an outcast within outcasts. Sad. You’d think I’d be used to it, yet it still stings now as it did the first time. The first time that I felt like I didn’t fit in was when I was with my best friend; she had her wisdom teeth removed and stayed with her grandparents while she recovered. When we were in our early twenties, I spent the night and hung with her the following morning. What I hadn’t known was that her boyfriend at that time was also going to be there for most of the night. The whole night was somewhat awkward, as they were snuggled up together, sucking each other’s faces, her on his lap, being a bit extra, in my opinion. During dinner, they sat next to each other, and I sat across from them. Whenever I would say something, her boyfriend would cut me off and say something to her; she’d reply then look at me and tell me to continue before cutting me off herself. After that, we went into the living room and decided to play with the Wii that her grandparents had for her and her siblings, and everything seemed okay. I ignored being ignored or being talked over, something I was used to honestly. We started talking about what we wanted to do the next morning when they suddenly began making out and groping each other. I turned away from them, pulled my cellphone out, and began texting a guy friend I had a crush on. For some unknown reason, she got rather angry at me for starting to text while she was making out with her boyfriend. She began telling me that I was being rude by texting instead of conversing with them; how dare I text the guy I liked (Who she vocally, very vocally, hated without even knowing him.) I was surprised by her sudden outburst, laughed uncomfortably, and told her that I had been trying all night to have a conversation with her but that she was too far down her boyfriend’s throat to bother talking to me. Her reply took me back; it caught me off guard and even stung me. She grabbed the guy’s face and kissed him rather roughly before looking at me with a smug look on her face. “At least I have a boyfriend and not some make-believe thing you have with that loser you’re texting. I get to physically kiss and touch someone, not just dream about it.” I ended up shutting down a bit after that, I ignored her most of the night, and when her boyfriend left, we both went upstairs to her room and went to sleep. The next day she acted as if nothing had happened, and I didn’t bother bringing it up. To this day, whenever she gets a new boyfriend, I don’t bother to talk to her when they’re there. At least not about important things. I let her yap away to them and me about pointless things, not paying attention. Thank you to those who took the time to read about my moment.
By Adriana Perez 5 years ago in Humans
