Who Was Your Best Childhood Friend?
There's no friend like someone who has known you since you were five."
- Anne Stevenson.
Childhood friends are significant since they've been with us from the very beginning of our lives. A friend that has been from the start and has known you from the very raw phase and has seen you grow in your element. For me, that friend would be Aditi. I was always a transfer student due to my father's occupation. I lived in many cities and frequently changed my schools and surroundings. I always struggled with making friends due to my introverted behavior.
I remember, when I was 13 years old, my father got transferred back to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. I barely remembered the city even though it was my hometown. I had to re-adjust to the new school and surroundings. It was the first day of my school. I was in 8th standard. The school felt the same for me everywhere, educational and boring. At the end of the day, there was an exhibition, and I saw someone trying their hand at the DJ mixer. It seemed unusual for a school event. I went a little further to see the person using it and saw myself staring at a girl with headphones bigger than her head and a mix of inappropriate songs for the school.
It seemed very unusual but funny at the same time. I looked at the watch and realized it was already late and headed back home. Later in the day, my mom asked me to drop my brother at his friend's house as it was just walking distance from my place. We reached the destination and rang the bell, and just as the door opened, I realized the face looked familiar. I couldn't guess at that moment who it was, but she recognized me by saying 'Oh, aren't you the new girl in our class?' I realized she was the girl with the big headphones and greeted her. Just then, my brother jumped and ran towards his friend, and the rest is history.
Aditi or Addy is what I call her. We are close friends. It has been almost nine years together. She is the first person I call whenever there is a problem or happiness. We both have opposite personalities. She is more adventurous, the life of the party, and can easily make friends. On the other hand, I am a homebody and introvert. She always inspires me to be an adventurous person and pushes me to try out various things in life.
I can't remember if we ever fought on any topic due to our differences, but I recall bonding over Enrique Iglesias and horror movies. She is a silver lining to every party I have ever been to, and I can't even believe there are so many things I have experienced because of her that I couldn't even think of. I always read about partners in crime when I was young, but I didn't understand what it meant. I guess Addy brings that meaning to my life. She is my real ride for life, and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.
