Friend

Once, when I was a new guy on High School, I saw a boy from our class. He was going home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he had all the books. I thought, who on earth, would take the entire books home on a Friday. It has to be a real freak. All my weekend was booked. I had no time for myself. Party with friends, football training, evening classes and lots of other stuff. I just shrugged my shoulders, and went home... We had the same way home. Suddenly, I saw a gang of boys that were running after Kyle. They took his books out of his hands and threw them into a mud. Then they tripped his feet and he fell into the mud too. His glasses fell 10 feet away from him. He looked at me. I saw the horrible sadness on his face. It was eating my heart. I went to him and helped him take the books while he was looking for his glasses. He looked at me and I saw that he was crying. I gave him the books and said

• These boys in the gang are really stupid. They do not know how to control themselves.

He looked at me again. -Thanks” were his words. Then a smile appeared on his face. It was one of the “Thank you” smiles. I asked him where he lives. Turned up that he rally lives near me. I also asked him why I hadn’t seen him before. It was because he was going to a private school. I never imagined a chat with a guy that goes to a private school. I carried some of his books and we talked about everything. He seemed a really nice boy. I asked him if he would like to play football tomorrow with us and he agreed. We were together all the weekend and became friends. And my friends seemed to like him as well. On Monday morning was Kyle back with heap of books. I stopped him and said that he will have strong muscles from all those books. He just smiled. He gave me half of the books. Four years passed and we became best friends. There wasn’t anything we didn’t know about each other. But Kyle talked a lot about the day we met. He wanted to do something that very day. But I still don’t know what… During the last year of High school, Kyle and I thought a lot about where to go next. Kyle chose to go to Georgetown and I chose Duke. I knew that wherever we were, Kyle and I will always be friends. Those miles will not be a problem. He wanted to be a doctor and I wanted to use my football scholarship.

Kyle, as the president of our class, had to make a speech at the final celebration of the school. I mocked him a bit about his going up there and talking in front of all those people, but I was happy I didn’t have to go there. I saw Kyle. He looked amazing, Kind of nervous though. He had filed out and the glasses suited him very well. He had more girls than I did. Every girl loved him. Sometimes I was jealous. He was very nervous, because of the speech, so I went to help him get up on his feet again. I clapped him on the shoulders and said: -Look, it’s going to be OK.”

He looked at me with that “Thank You” look and smiled…The beginning of the speech was behind him. He coughed and continued reading. -At the end of this school year, I would like to thank those that helped us through these long years. Parents, teachers, siblings, maybe the trainer. The biggest thanks go to my friends. I’m here to tell you that a friend is the biggest and the most precious gift you can give or have. I’ll tell you a story.” I looked at him in embarrassment when he began talking about the day we met. He wanted to commit suicide. He talked about how he emptied his wardrobe in the school so his mother wouldn’t bother doing it and he was taking his things home. Then he looked at me and smiled. -Thank God I’ve met a friend. He saved me from my inexpressible decision!”

I heard the dismay in the crowd when the popular guy said this thing about his past-about his weakest moment. Everyone saw Kyles’ mother and father looking at me with gratitude in their eyes. At that moment I began to understand the significance of my act. Do not underestimate the power of the moment. With one and only one gesture you can change the life of any person for better or worse.

• Friends are those who put you back on your feet when your wings forget how to fly. There is no beginning or end. There is just now. Tomorrow is maybe and yesterday is history. Today is a gift…