Ten rules of friendship

After ending the call with Oom, Pam sat in silence, staring at her phone. Her heart felt warm, yet a strange sense of longing filled her. Their conversation had brought back a flood of memories—laughter, secrets, and the countless times they had promised to always stand by each other.

She reached for her notebook, flipping to a fresh page. With a steady hand, she began writing, her pen gliding across the paper with ease.

She started to write;

"Ten Rules of Friendship"



Rule #1: Always say the truth in any condition.

Rule #2: Never betray each other.

Rule #3: Be with each other in happiness as well as in grief.

Rule #4: Never hide anything from each other.

Rule #5: Be sincere with each other.

She paused, tapping the end of her pen against her chin. The next five rules would come naturally—after all, they had written them together back in school. But before she could continue, the sharp ring of her phone broke the silence.

Pam sighed and picked it up, seeing Ella's name flash across the screen.

“Hey, Ella,” Pam answered, placing her pen down.

“Pam! Where are you? We’re meeting in fifteen minutes at the library for the project. Did you forget?” Ella’s voice was light but carried urgency.

Pam’s gaze drifted back to her notebook, the half-written list staring at her like an unfinished promise. She hesitated before replying, “Oh… right! I’ll be there soon.”

“Great! See you.”

As the call ended, Pam let out a breath and closed her notebook gently. She had been so immersed in reliving her past with Oom that she had momentarily forgotten about the present. The project was important, and she had a responsibility to her classmates. But as she tucked her notebook into her bag, an unsettling feeling crept into her chest.

She grabbed her coat and stepped outside into the cool London air. The streets were busy, filled with people hurrying along, but Pam’s mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts drifted back to Bangkok—to the days when she and Oom would sit together in their favorite café, dreaming about the future, never imagining that one day, they would be separated by thousands of miles.

The walk to the library was short, but every step felt like a bridge between her past and present. When she arrived, she spotted Ella and the rest of their group already seated at a large table, laptops open and books spread out.They have to finish the task as soon as possible.

“Pam! Finally, you’re here,” Ella greeted her with a grin. “We need to divide the work.”

Pam forced a smile and took a seat. “Sorry, I got caught up in something.”

“No worries! Let’s get started.”

The group discussion began, but Pam found it hard to focus. As her classmates spoke, assigning different tasks, her mind kept wandering back to her notebook, still tucked away in her bag. She had left the list incomplete, and somehow, it felt like leaving a piece of herself behind.

Would she ever get the chance to sit with Oom again and finish what they started?

Shaking off the thought, Pam forced herself to concentrate on the project. But deep down, she knew the remaining five rules weren’t just words on paper. They were a promise—a symbol of a friendship that had stood the test of time. And no matter how far she and Oom were from each other, their bond was still waiting to be written, just like the unwritten rules in her notebook.

Those ten rules of friendship were more important to her than anything else..

(To be continued…)