WRITTEN BY: JOVANA VUKOVIĆ
Four years ago, G. and I were having a bitter-sweet coffee at a local café. It was unimaginable this would be the last time we would see each other. Losing a loved one is perceived as a tragic happening, but it does not necessarily have to be so devastating and painful. At first, one might feel distraught and saddened, might ponder the question why it occurred, but ultimately, not all people are meant to stay until the end of the journey – our life.
At that point, our friendship had lasted for 15 years straight. Our sisters were close friends and had us introduced. From the first day, G. and I got along splendidly – a special bond was immediately created between us. As a child, I was very sensitive, shy, introverted and was thrilled to have a friend like her – extroverted, outspoken, and dare I say, a little rude. During our childhood, she was the one in charge, while I would solely play along. What could a pure, naive child possibly know?
As we grew older, we learned to balance each other well. Our friendship became full of sincerity and regard. Over time, we became equal characters in our friendship. Living in different towns, and attending different schools was not an obstacle in seeing pretty often. We shared fears, secrets, problems, crushes, and dreams. All of our leisure time was spent together, idling, and having fun. The idyllic friendship ended when I found a boyfriend.
We were madly in love and wanted to spend plenty of time together, which eventually contributed to G. and I spending less time together. At first, she acted oddly – ignoring my calls with the ridiculous excuse of being pretty occupied. Three weeks of not seeing each other made everything crystal clear – something transpired. I called and proposed our regular appointment. I hoped the issues would be addressed, but she acted like everything was fine. Such cognition made me both happy and concerned. That night might have been one of our best ever – we laughed like we knew it was the last one together. A few days later, I received a very detailed text – G. said that she was unhappy and dissatisfied with our friendship and it should be ended. This stunned me and made me think about what had gone wrong. After some time of contemplating, I resolved to write to her no more.
When I reflect on our friendship, she made an enormous impact on my life – she helped me increase my sense of belonging, helped me cope with problems, improved my self-confidence and self-worth, but most importantly, she taught me how to be a truly good friend. We have both grown up and changed, but unfortunately not in the same direction. We had to accept that we grew apart, that one path became two different ones, and that our journey came to an end. I believe that we should all be thankful for the people who were, are, and will be a part of our lives. They are present to enrich our lives, teach us valuable lessons, and change us and our perspective!