I believe friends are a necessity. You need them to travel on the rollercoaster called life.
That morning, when the phone rang at 5:00 in the morning, was the longest and most terrible morning of my life. It came as a shock to her daughters that she was dead. My best friend’s mother had passed away in her sleep. The first thing they did was call us. They didn’t know what else to do or what was really going on; they just needed a friend.
When I heard about Peggy passing, I thought, “Life is never going to be the same without her.” She was my second mom, and I loved her as though she were. We were so close; she wasn’t only like a mom, but a best friend.
Now, saying goodbye was probably the hardest thing I had to do. As I held Peggy’s cold hand, her daughter, who was my best friend, grabbed mine. She said, “Everything is going to be okay. You have to let go now.” And so I did. I gave my best friend a hug, and like that, we were attached at the hip. I could look over and know she would be there for me, like I was there for her.
When it was time for us to leave Peggy at her grave site, my best friend needed to be with somebody, and I did too. We never left each other, and together we made it through the day.
Throughout the next few days and weeks, my best friend and I told ea
ch other everything. We had to talk about our emotions to make us feel better. It helped me for a long while, and I think it helped her, too. It seemed like, for the most part, life had returned to somewhat normal days. There were some lonely days, but mostly happy ones. Everything was okay.
Until that one day when her dad decided to take her away from me. That made things worse again. They moved about a half an hour away, and we grew apart. At the time, I was very angry at him, but now I realize he didn’t intend to hurt me or any of her other friends. He just needed their family to be closer to relatives for more support. We didn’t talk as much, and then eventually, not at all. It was hard being without her after that. I felt like half of my heart had been torn out and taken far away.
It’s a good thing I had another close friend. She was there through my best friend moving away, and she made that loss easier. That is proof that you need friends to ride this rollercoaster called life.
Reflection
I picked this topic for my This I Believe Essay because it was a point in my life that best described my relationship with my friends. I felt that it was a good way to show my belief. It might not have been one of my best pieces but I thought I wrote and told the story very well.
