Friends by numbers

Growing up I had few friends but I took it very seriously. Friendship meant more to me than anything else. For a friend I would have died, literally. Of course I was shocked to learn that not all of them felt this way about friendship, but I don't regret a single day and remember each and every one of them with melancholic love.

My best friends #1 (Angie), and #2 (Shanty) called me from the other side of the fence that divided primary from pre primary school on the first day that I was to be on the big kids's side and asked me to get close to it so they could tell me a secret, and instead they put their hands through the bars and poured dirt on my hair. I tried to laugh with them, but I was really hurt and it wasn't until I was on 3rd grade and Angie on 2nd that we were friends again.

Then Veronica was transferred to our school and she looked exactly like Atreyu from The Never Ending Story, our platonic love from our favorite movie. We went to her one day and asked her to shout "Morla!" and when she did she became our friend... Friendship is that simple when you are 8 years old. And just as simply it ended when I picked up the phone one day and the two of them said at the same time "cortala!" which meant that they withdrew their friendship from me.

My best friend #3 is Rose. We shared classrooms in Jr. High. Everyone thought she was very shy because she wore her hair in two braids that went down to her hips and wore two identical t-shirts one on top of the other so it wasn't so see-through. But once you got to know her she was exactly the opposite. She had a loud honest rich laugh and she climbed trees and ran from roof top to roof top. She was always making jokes and she made friends very easily. When we got into high school she overcame several drastic changes in search of her own identity: from hippie to darkie to intellectual... and with each change she got new friends and kept the good ones for life. I am one of the lucky ones to this day.

My best friend # 4 is my cousin Nina. She used to be such a goof, soooooo fun to be with and always making funny faces and voices and dressing silly. She was always solving other people problems because she is such a good listener that everyone confided on her. Her curse was being so tall it was hard to find guys who wouldn't have to look up to her. We developed a very strong friendship with 2 guys from out of town; Marcelo became my best friend # 5 and later my first boyfriend.

When Marcelo dumped me, Cristina, her cousin picked me up at my house with a bunch of her friends and made sure I wouldn't get depressed... My best friend #6 "Crispe" is all heart, always worrying about you and doing something about it. She is extremely naive and will believe everything you tell her. One time we were at a friend's leaving room and Barf went up to the roof and said in a very unbelievable sad voice "help, I'm stuck in the chimney" Cristina was up and and running around like mad "whaddawe do? whaddawe do?" She has a very expressive face so it was impossible not to laugh.

Those 5 years that followed were the best of my life. We were 9 boys and 4 girls and nothing was more important to me than all this people. But Cristina and "Cricket" are all there is left from the gang now. I married my best friend #7 "Cricket". We had tried being a couple before, in our teens for 2 months and ended up hating each other. 4 years later we tried again and went nicely, so we tied the knot.

Nina got married to a goof as well, but she decided that it was time to grow up and now she's assumed the lawyer's wife- mother of three- roll perfectly. (I still remind her of her old self even if she hates me for it)

Cristina married to a Norwegian guy and Rose went to London to study her masters and though they live in other countries now they will always be close no matter how far.

Cricket and I have our ups and downs as lovers, but as friends we are always up.

Our friends as a couple are few as well but they will be friends for life. #8 & 9: Diego and Mony gave us the most wonderful gift by making us they’re baby's godparents; #10 & 11: Francisco and Vero made us their wedding witnesses; #12 & 13: Javier and Yetzi we seldom see, but will always be there; #14 – 22: All the "Grokers"... I really hope we keep on with our meetings for life! Couldn't live without you!