A Day With a Friend
Based on a therapy assignment and true story and written on October 21, 2020. All names and places have been changed due to privacy reasons.
The last time Mallory and I have spoken to each other was on my very last day of high school where we both had Biology II at the same time in the same class. It was a warm, breezy day in May, and the high school seniors (like me) were trailing back into the two-story brick building after a nice lunch of hamburgers cooked on the grill. I returned to Biology II where I saw Mallory and my other two friends there Jared and Thomas; as soon as I stepped foot into the cramp classroom, Mallory jumped up in her chair and waved her hands excitedly, gleefully exclaiming, “Erin!”
I smiled and waved back, plopping into my own chair next to hers in the front of the class, squeezing myself to barely fit into the tiny desk. I was a real butterball back in those days.
“Look what I’ve made for you!” Mallory said, her brown eyes shining with excitement. She handed me a piece of notebook paper that said-
“Erin, you are the bestest friend anyone can ever hope for, and you are the bestest big sissie in the whole world! I’ll miss you!”
“I’m gonna miss you so much!” Mallory cried out, partly in exaggeration.
Had I been the expressive type, I would’ve shed a tear or two. “I’m gonna miss you, too, Mallory,” I said back, giving her a bittersweet smile.
That was three years ago, and we haven’t spoken since. It’s not because we’re not longer friends. It’s that I don’t socialize a whole lot; I have a lot of trouble socializing with people. It’s not my fault, and it’s not like I don’t try. I just, well… how do people make and keep friends without any effort? I have to put in 100% effort just to talk to the cashier at the grocery store! And I know I’m not alone in putting in a ton of effort to socialize with people because… hey! Maybe those other people have to put in effort just to make and keep friends, too! And if they can do it, then there’s no harm in me trying, right?
So, I made myself a Facebook and Instagram account to find Mallory, friending and following her as soon as I found her. I was wondering if she remembered or even recognized me; I’ve lost a good amount of weight over the past three years, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t know who I was. That was what I was thinking after a few days. Maybe she didn’t want anything to do with me since, again, we haven’t talked to each other in three years. Suddenly and surprisingly, I saw my private inbox on Facebook gain a notification. I clicked on it, probably thinking it was some bot, but no. It was Mallory! She wanted to talk to me!
“Erin, I’m so happy to hear from you again!” she sent me.
My heart started pounding, and my hands started shaking. She remembered me. She recognized me. She still liked me!
“I’ve missed you so much, too!” I typed back.
Pretty soon, we caught with each other on our lives, talking about the different achievements and failures we’ve each gone through. After a few minutes, Mallory asked if I wanted to hang out with her- just like old times.
“Sure!” I responded cheerfully, “What time, and where do you want to meet up?”
“How about Saturday afternoon at 2:00 at the park?” Mallory suggested.
“Sounds great!” I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation; I could barely even sleep. For the first time in three years, I was going to hang out with a real person! I was finally going to have an actual, face-to-face conversation! I could hardly wait!
Finally, Saturday arrived. I woke up early in the morning so that I didn’t miss anything. I brushed my teeth and hair, used the bathroom, put on deodorant, took my medicine, ate breakfast, and dressed up for the meeting I was about to have with Mallory. I chose jean shorts and a golden yellow tank top due to the warm and sunny day we were going to have that day- a perfect day for hanging out with a friend at the park.
After I finished eating my lunch and putting my shoes on, I told my mother and sister where I was heading and that I’ll be back soon. My mother and sister were pretty much used to me going out for occasional walks, so they didn’t fuss too much. They just told me to take my phone with me in case of an emergency and because the park was a bit far from our house.
By the time I arrived at the park, my legs felt wobbly- almost as if they were about to fall off of my body at any second. I should’ve taken a bottle of water with me, but it was too late for that, and, again, I was too tired to walk back home for one. Oh, well. At least the park had a couple of water fountains. Besides, I immediately spotted Mallory sitting at a silver metal bench under a tree.
Mallory looked exactly the same as I had remembered- shoulder-length, frizzy, golden blonde hair with big brown eyes, a short stature with a bit of fat hanging on to her, and zits all over her face. She was wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers. She hadn’t changed a bit; the same couldn’t be said about me, though.
“Oh, my God! Erin!” Mallory squealed as she zipped towards where I was standing and squeezing me to near death. “You’ve lost so much weight!”
I blushed a bright pink and looked down at the dirt ground. I did lose a good amount of weight in the three years since- around sixty pounds to be exact.
“Are you feeling all right?” she asked me in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, I’m feeling fine,” I answered. We stared at each other for a moment before I asked, “So, uh… how has your life been so far?”
“I’ve been doing okay,” Mallory answered as we walked back to the bench she had been sitting at, “Though it’s been tough trying to find a job.”
My heart sank, and I nodded. A weird part of me felt secretly thankful she had said that because I, too, had been having a difficult time finding a job. Still, I couldn’t say the first part, so I sighed and replied with, “No kidding.”
“Have you had any luck finding a job so far?” Mallory asked.
“Nope, none so far,” I answered, “Not a whole lot of writing jobs are open right now.”
Mallory nodded. “You know, I always remembered you writing stories and comics during class right after taking notes. You still doing that? Writing stories and comics?”
This time, I blushed a bright red, chuckled, and nodded. I guess I hadn’t changed as much as I had thought after all. “Didn’t you used to write poetry back in high school, too?” I asked her.
Mallory sighed. “Yeah, but my parents always tell me that it’s not a real job and that I won’t make any money off of it. I suppose it’s true, though…”
My heart sank even more when she said that; that sentiment was way too relatable for me. “Well… maybe writing might not make a whole lot of money, but it’s worth a try,” I said, “Any money is better than no money. I’m sure you can find a freelance writing job on the internet somewhere. Or maybe you can be your own boss and make money off of your own poetry. Plenty of writers do that, and they manage to do just fine. It’s worth a try, Mallory. It just might work out, and even if it doesn’t, at least you’ve tried something.”
Mallory stared at me for a minute, and I thought I was about to get the beatdown of my life. But she smiled and hugged me. “You’re right! You’ve always given some good advice back in high school, and I’m so happy you’re still so sensible and smart on the inside.” She placed her chin on my shoulder and added, “I’m so happy to have you, Erin.”
A lump formed in my throat, and tears teetered on my eyes. This was the first time I had even felt like I was worth something in three years. “I’m happy to have you, too, Mallory,” I said back quietly.
And so Mallory and I sat side by side on the silver metal bench under the tree, just being there for each other. Maybe some people like me have to put in 100% effort just to make and keep one friend, but one friend is better than no friends.
