Hey, Stranger

Dear Stranger,

It’s amazing, isn’t it? How we spent seven years of our lives together, and yes, it has been that long. We used to spend every day of every minute together. We understood the simple things about each other, like you hating green onions, and me wanting a penguin as a pet. We understood how we got certain scars on our bodies and why we would both rather have a Cockatiel as a pet instead of a dog or a cat. And yes, it must be a specific type of bird, I didn’t forget. Remember when we first tried alcohol? We were so excited that we snuck to the middle of the woods to drink this bottle our friend gave us, so we wouldn’t get in trouble. Turns out grape juice can get you really drunk.

While there was tremendous joy in learning new things about each other, we also understood each other on a deeper, more serious level, like me wishing I could feel a connection with my strained family, and you feeling a sense of relief when a blade parted your skin. We always knew the right words to say and that would be enough to bring each other out of the dark.  We were inseparable and forged an unbreakable bond thought to withstand the one thing that most people fear: time.

But as they say, things change. Every day that went by that bond grew weaker and weaker. You were the one person who was supposed to always be there. The one person that was supposed to fight the drift that was inching its way between us. How wrong I was. Very, very wrong. All it took was a year. A year to forget every word spoken, every minute spent, and every moment created. The world has evolved into a technological period, and yet, none of these new tools I use seem to reach you. Did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong? All these thoughts and emotions stab at my heart when I think of you, when I think about those seven years together. After years together and years apart, I wonder what it would be like if we reconnect. Would we treat each other as someone we used to know, or as strangers? Would we remember the beauty of our friendship, or would we have to reintroduce ourselves? To avoid the stabbing pain that comes when I think about you, I have come to the conclusion that those seven years were part of a dream. A beautiful, tragic dream. A dream that I search for when I sleep and try so desperately to remember when I wake up.

 It is just simply amazing, isn’t it?

-KH