The Distant Wind

The Distant Wind

         As I stand along the seashore, I feel a sudden wave of reminiscence. The sun will soon set and the sky will be filled with shimmering stars. Yes, soon it will be dark. I look up at the orange tinted sky and notice a lonely cloud traveling the vast sky. A wry smile etches on my face. The whole scene does bring back memories.

         Do you still remember how we met? It was so unexpected yet somehow it was all fated. I think I haven't told you but I really believe in fate. Why, you ask?

         It was a bright sunny day---the day of the start of another school year. Orientation was always the same every school year. Class schedules would be handed out to students, and then teachers, old and new, would welcome the new batch of sixth graders. It was a fresh start, a blank canvas waiting to be painted. Mixed feelings rushed over me. "I wonder what this school year's going to be like." But I somehow knew the answer.

         My Chinese tutor didn't change at all. She was still the jovial, old woman filled with sagacity. There were a few new faces but my circle of friends was all present. The class started. "Wish"---that was the title of our first lesson. It seemed to mock me as I struggled helplessly, trying my best to grasp the characters' meanings. Chinese was one of my weak points. That was why I started Chinese tutorial lessons.

         Then you sat right next beside me. I was surprised because I had never met you before. Without even knowing my name, you started copying my answers. I was offended since you did it without my consent and only my friends could copy it. I covered my paper defensively.

         "Hey! Let me copy!" You demanded. I resisted.

         "I'll buy you candy during break time."

         "No way!" I was reluctant. "Who do you think you are anyway?" I thought.

         "It's Nerds." You knew well how to persuade a sixth grader. Those words pulled the strings. You copied without hesitation.
         "What's your name?" I asked.

         "Jessica. You?"

         "Irene." I could still remember the big smiles on our faces.

         It has been four years since we met and you have always been my very best friend. We always do things together even though we have many differences. It didn't bother us back then. We really were inseparable.

         But time does fly when one is having fun. They say that opposites attract but I think there's a glitch in that famous cliché. That soon you would want to be with someone who has the same interests and personality as you do. You yearn for a place to belong. And I guess you did not find that with me.

         I glance at the small cloud passing overhead. I can feel its loneliness. Its call for a companion reaches me but it is inaudible for the other clouds. A powerful but gentle wind blows the little cloud until I can't see it anymore. The wry smile forms again on my lips. But I am somehow glad that the cloud found its companion to blow it when it is lonely.

         As the day turns to night and as the sun sets to let the moon shine, I hope and pray for you to be happy, wherever you are, wherever you wish to belong. Our friendship is something I will always treasure because it turned my life into something more meaningful. I am here, waiting for my distant wind to fly again with me to the boundless possibilities of life.
         
         Do you know why I believe in fate? It's because I met you. And I still believe in that.