TEEN MEMO

BESTIE MEMORIES

DANIELLA ROGERS

I was in my study room writing a poem when dad knocked. I gave him the liberty to come in. After exchanging good humoured banter with him, he approached me with his right hand in the pocket of his jean trouser. He brought out a mini jotter from the trouser pocket.

In seconds, I looked closely at the jotter and it seemed familiar.

“Dani, you remember this?" He asked with a smirk on his face. I inherited my dimples from him because mum didn't have dimples but dad did.

“Yeah. This is my jotter when I was about eleven or even younger. Where did you find it? I've been looking for it but I had to let go when all efforts to find it were vain.”

“Well, I saw it in my toolbox when working on my car tyre in the garage. You must have dropped it accidentally few years back because it's been long I even opened the toolbox. Here, come have your jotter. It finally found its owner.”

I collected the jotter from him.

“Thanks dad. There's a lot of information in this jotter."

Dad smirked. He touched my cheeks and left the room because he has a business meeting to attend.

I gently sat down and flipped the pages of the book trying to recall all that I had written in the jotter a few years back. I wondered why it wasn't dusty but I realized that dad must have cleaned it for me. He's really sweet and I love him to the core.

I smiled as I read the songs I wrote as a child. They were so hilarious and full of grammatical errors. Tautology was common in most of the poems, except one. That very one touched my spirit that I could feel tears gathering around my eyes.

The song goes like this;

We can never understand life,

because life itself doesn't understand us.

Life means "Living in Fantasy Everyday".

Because every second, minute, hour

and day makes us feel that

our loved ones will never leave us.

Little do we know that

life is a reality,

and not a fantasy.

I call it LIRE not LIFE anymore,

because I've learnt the plot of life,

the hard way.

There was someone who made me write that poem. It was my formee best friend who made me compose that song.

* * * * * * *

Seven years ago, I was registered in Dumrick High School where I attended my junior high school. I resumed on the third day of the week because I had to get myself prepared for a new school life, that's because I was done with elementary school.

On the day I resumed, mom and I walked to the principal's office where they conversed for minutes concerning my life in my new school.

With the intercom laid on her neatly arranged table, the principal dialed a number and talked to someone. Few minutes later, a lady wearing a casual outfit entered the office.

The principal gave her some directions and she led me to my class. Entering the class, an average sized tall lady with a blonde wavy hair was teaching the students. I greeted her politely and she asked what my name is.

“I'm Daniella Rogers ma'am. Nice to meet you.”

Courtesy and politeness were part of the things I learned in Qualibrium Elementary School that I would never forget. I missed my elementary school but it was unfortunate that it didn't have a high school. Despite all of this, no school would be more valuable to me except Qualibrium Elementary School. I used to visit the school once in a while to meet Professor Alicia Sebastian and my lovely teachers but I relinquished when I got to the main high school because my academic schedule needed full concentration.

Meanwhile, the class welcomed me and the teacher who introduced herself as “Mrs Joy Lincoln" pointed a seat for me to sit in.

“Go and sit with Frederick. He will be your seatmate for the term. Frederick, cooperate with her so that she will be able to copy her notes since she didn't resume on the first day.”

“Yes ma'am.” The boy named Frederick replied. His voice was very unique.

Freddie has a brown hair that was neatly combed. He was tall for his age, cute and had natural pink lips. At that moment, I could compliment his sweet smiles and his aquiline nose. It matched his cute face.

I walked up to his seat and sat down. I felt a little shy because throughout my elementary school, every pupil had their individual desks so, everyone sat alone. It was different now. It was two students to a seat so, I had to put up with a boy for that matter.

When a high sounding bell rung, Mrs Joy rounded off the class and walked out.

“Hi, Daniella. I'm Frederick Dorbin. Nice to meet you for the first time.” He smiled as he brought out his hand for a handshake.

I hesitated for a few seconds but I clasped his hands. Sincerely speaking, his hands were warm and soft. We interacted for a few minutes and he offered to help me copy some of my notes.

Before I knew what was happening, almost every member of the class walked up to our desk and came to welcome me officially. They introduced themselves and it was fun spending time with them. They reminded me of Qualibrium Elementary School again. Both schools definitely had a few things in common.

As time went on, I realized that Freddie was really nice and kind-hearted, just like mummy and daddy. Funny enough, it dawned on me that Freddie and his mum lived in our neighborhood. His house was two houses apart before getting to mine. He was an only child like I was.

Soon, his mum and my parents became friends. Not only that, he became my best friend. He was highly intelligent and I admired how sanguine he was about life. We did things in common that we became inseparable.

We went to school together, returned home together and even studied on weekends together. He was like my backbone in school and my anchor in the neighborhood.

We usually quarreled over trivial matters. There was a time that we were about to go home together but our maths teacher sent for me. While I went to answer the teacher, Freddie bought ice cream for himself. When I returned, I met him l*****g ice cream without even waiting for me because we planned to buy the ice cream together. He tried to explain himself but I was so upset that I left him. He ran after me and explained that I was delaying a bit so, he bought three ice creams. Two were for him and one was mine. He was l*****g one so that he could deal with heat of the scorching hot sun. He brought out the remaining two ice creams and gave them to me since I was upset.

“Are you still mad at me? I'm sorry.” He said as he placed his two hands on his ears.

“It's fine. I'm sorry too for being a poor listener.” I gave him one of the ice creams and we both licked as we journeyed home.

Whenever we were promoted to a new class, we shared the same seats. Freddie put my interest before his and so did I.

No one could change the fact that we remained best friends.

But things changed...

In the third year of junior high, Freddie visited my house on a cool Saturday evening. We went for a walk to buy parfait when he broke the silence.

“This isn't the Frederick Dorbin I know. The Freddie I know is always happy. He keeps me high-spirited and buoyant even when I'm not happy. What's wrong Freddie?" I asked as I realized he wasn't happy.

“I'm so sorry to break this news to you. Please forgive me, Dani for what I'm about to say." He said as he held my hand.

I laughed heartily.

“What do you mean by that? Why will you apologize for trying to tell me something?"

“It would hurt you. I'm so sorry but it would be more painful if I don't tell you now." He said as he looked away.

“Just say it, please. Stop keeping me in suspense, Freddie."

“I'm leaving." He blurted.

I laughed the more.

“You're leaving! What do you mean by that?" I asked inquisitively.

“Dani, it's no joke."

My visage changed but I let him open up.

“I'm so sorry that I'm leaving you. My dad decided that my mum and I should relocate to Switzerland to live with him since he has finally settled down there.” He said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“It's a lie. Freddie, stop pulling my legs. Tell me you're only pranking me." I said with rivulets of tears already running down my cheeks.

“I wish I were pranking you. It's a reality and I wished I had a say in this matter. I'm really going to miss you and everything here. Relocating to Switzerland isn't my ideal thing but I can't do anything about it. I'm so sorry Dani that I'm hurting you already. Please forgive me."

“Why? Why do you have to leave now?"

“I'm so sorry, Dani. I may leave now but I promise to return someday. I will never forget all the times we spent together, all the things we did in common. It's a promise." He said as he hugged me tightly.

“I would really miss you."

"So, when are you leaving?" I asked him inquisitively.

“At the break of dawn.”

“What? So early?" He nodded.

We went back home together and I gave him my favorite picture which we both took when we went to a studio with my dad. Both of us had the picture so, that was going to be the object of remembrance.

* * * * * * *

I was so doleful that I wrote that poem in tears. I technically forgot about Freddie since I lost the book. It was very painful seeing my best friend leaving.

It's been five years since Freddie left. He promised to return to return but he didn't. I really missed him but his leaving made me realize that no one stays with you forever. I promised myself that no one would be so dear to me apart from mum and dad so that I wouldn't feel melancholic just like I felt after Freddie left. It took about three months before I forgot everything about him.

This jotter reminded of him. I went to my wardrobe to look for the picture we shared but I didn't find it. I searched for it around the entire domicile for hours but I didn't find it. I wept for few minutes but I just had to let it go.

I would never forget him because he was the only true best friend I had in my entire life.

Right now, Daddy is my world and mummy is my earth. I cherish the both of them dearly. They are the only best friends I have.