A Lost Friend

By Mary Cherry S. Sanchez

Aireen was a genius, beautiful and friendly girl. We were close friends, and we spent our leisure time by reading novels. She was also a journalist at her school. Being popular, many boys wished to capture her attention. Somehow, Aireen always spent her time on books; she didn’t waste her time by doing useless things. We were always having fun together. We went to beach every Saturday morning and attended mass every Sunday morning.

Monday morning when I was about to go to school, Aireen knocked on our door. We had a short talk and she told me that she was leaving for Cebu to continue her studies and stay there for good. I asked her if she’d come back, but she didn’t answer me, she just hugged me and cried. When she arrived in Cebu, she called me on the phone. She said that her mother had enrolled her already at a private school in St. Paul. I was so happy for her, I cried secretly while she was talking on the phone. Maybe I just missed our happy times together. Weeks and months passed by, I haven’t received any phone calls from her. I tried to call her but nobody answered.

One cold night while I ate my supper, I heard the phone ringing. I immediately ran towards my room to answer the phone. I thought it was she, but the voice that I’ve heard talking in the phone was her father. Her father informed me that Aireen was gone. She died on a bus accident. He told me the whole incident. I cried so hard that night, thinking that my best friend was gone. That I didn’t expect.

Now when I look at the beach and its calmness, it magnifies Aireen on my mind, the best friend that left imprints in my heart and soul.