True Friends

This is a piece I wrote May 25, 2006, and decided to post it on my blog as I think about 'friends and friendship'

Laughter, shouting and giggles she heard; all happy sounds from so many children; there were kids playing ball; some running about on the end of a kite string; others just sauntering across the grass; still more on the swing.  Sitting in a chair with her coffee, she looked reflectively out the window across the playground.  It was the swing that captivated her gaze; the back and forth motion lulling her into a dream-like state; taking her back to another time so long ago.

In another place a swing was carrying her up into the air towards a feeling of freedom from realities on the ground.  As it slowed there were children milling about, all smiling at her with their hands out.  Ah that was it.  They wanted some of the candy she had tucked away in the little pocket on her dress.  Sweet little candies; various pastel shades; some heart shaped; some circular; all with writing on.  Some said ‘I Love You’; others ‘Will You Be Mine?’; there were some that just said ‘Friends’.  That’s what she longed for, friends; someone to play with, talk to, spend time with, smile at her.  They were all there talking to her, not paying any attention to the funny little accent she had acquired after going to school in England.  She was happy and excited to have friends at last.  As she smiled now, there was a warm feeling bubbling around inside her.

Her new friends pushed her up high on the swing; she felt like she was an eagle soaring in the clouds. She closed her eyes and smiled; content with her newfound playmates. The swing slowed again; she once more shared candies all around with everyone. They again pushed her up high into the sky where she could relax and think about tomorrow, spending time with her friends. Slowing to almost no movement at all she noticed that everyone again had their hands out. She reached inside her pocket and brought out the bag that contained the sweet little morsels only to find there were just two left. Oh well she thought I will have more candy another day. She herself had only eaten one candy from the bag; the rest she had offered her friends. The two candies were quickly snatched up by a couple of hands; the bag went flying to the ground. She felt rather sad that the candies were all gone but she was happy she had new friends.

To her dismay, she was quickly pushed from the swing and away from the group who now were making fun of her because they said she talked funny. That took her back to school in England where she had also been teased because she ‘talked funny’; where she had been punished because of all things, she drew a line down the centre of the page in her arithmetic scribbler, the teacher slapping her desk so hard with a ruler she became terrified and started to cry. Her teacher came to her home and reported that she cried at school every day. Her mom and her aunt along with her teacher tried desperately to figure out why she cried every day. (I can’t imagine can you?) She had only one little friend who would play with her, a little girl called Heckie who she will always remember.

Finding this swing episode all too hard to understand she wandered over to a quiet corner of the playground where she sat on the ground against the fence. How could it be that no matter what she did they said she ‘talked funny’? When she went to England she thought she talked like everyone else. They didn’t think so. She somehow picked up their way of talking ‘proper’ and now she was back home and the kids here said she ‘talked funny’. As well it seemed they didn’t want to be friends now that her candy was all gone. This was just too much for one little girl to grasp. What would she do? She felt so alone.

Back in her chair, with her coffee, looking out the window across the playground, alone, she realized that her shirt was damp from the tears that were falling. Reality returned as she listened to the sounds of the children playing outside. This daydream seemed to come back for her every year around Valentine’s Day as soon as she spotted the sweet little candies with the writing on. She found them in the store & brought some home every year. The ones that tugged at her heartstrings most were those that simply said ‘Friends’. They seemed to serve as a reminder to her; a reminder that all people are not true friends; a reminder about how she should take very good care of her friendships.