another one...

My cousin and I exchanged Friendster messages today - triggered by her very first blog post about her friends. Her sentiments about her friends that she had to leave behind when the family moved out of the country, to the overwhelming emotions she felt when one of her friends got married, mirrored my thoughts about my best friend C and the friendship we've shared through the years...

"So I read your blog - and it brought tears to my eyes. So totally can relate, I swear :). After all these years, it's amazing how it seems like you were never apart...
At my best friend Cecille's wedding last year in Manila, I had the hardest time coming up with my obligatory Matron-of-Honor speech because I thought "what can I possibly write about? We've been friends for so long but we were apart most of that time." I felt somewhat insecure because of all her friends that will be in the room, I wouldn't be able to talk about hanging out, sleep overs, out-of-town trips, whatever.. then I realized, I may not be able to talk about that, but I can talk about how we have been able to remain best friends for 22 years, and have 15 years of that spent apart. I talked about how we promised to write to each other every week (and we did). I talked about how we were there for each other through all the milestones - first boyfriends, first heartaches, first loves, everything. How we were there for each other the minute we realized we found "The One" we want to spend the rest of our lives with. She was by my side at my wedding like I was with her at hers. At my wedding she spoke of how we kept in touch via mail, even voicetapes (oh goodness!), packages, phone, email, text...whatever. And so I realized, I don't NOT have anything to talk about - compared to most, I have so many things to talk about :). And I did - and it brought tears to both our eyes.
Now, Cecille is a mom just like me and now, we don't just talk about our own milestones, we now share anecdotes of being first time moms, and wives. I know when Ella's first tooth came out, just like she knows when Jake took his first steps. I think with people like us, who "against our wills" at the time, were plucked out of the lives we thought we couldn't live without, end up knowing what true friendships are and how to value and hold it dear to our hearts."

And that's why when I was cleaning a couple of months back and ran into her letters (all hundreds and hundreds of them), I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it, not even the envelopes. Because I know those letters are what got us through the years, and what strengthened our friendship. I look forward to growing old and being together (either here, or in Manila or wherever we end up), picturing us sitting side by side and giggling like little girls, perusing through the piles and piles of letters we wrote to each other. I know where she keeps my letters - right next to her bed inside her side table. She told me before that she used to just lay there and read through them and imagine that she was with me when I wrote about my experiences.

We may not have gone to the movies together or go out on double dates just like normal girlfriends get to do, but we sure went through great measures (and lots of plane rides) to get together :). And when we do, we get our hair done, we go out for lunch/dinners, we shop, we gossip, we shriek (so says the husband) in laughter ... we act like we were never more than a drive away from each other.

Thanks kapunakan Kim :).