Do you remember back in like 2019 when on TikTok there was that sound that went like, “ayo best friend check”? Well I just randomly remembered that. Anyway this time I’m writing about one of my friends who doesn’t get enough credit. His name is Aiden. We go way back. We go so far back that my other best friend, Ava, who I’ve been friends with for 10 years gets jealous because I’ve been friends with Aiden for longer.
I should probably start off with how we met but honestly, the story starts waaayy before that. Years ago our dads met in school and quickly became friends. Luckily they stayed friends throughout the years and as life went on and they got married, they were still friends. Aiden’s dad, Mr. Rich and my dad had grown up in New Orleans, Louisiana. After getting married and having kids, my dad moved with our family to Gulfport, Mississippi and Mr. Rich moved with his family to I think Daphne, Alabama. Even though we were an entire state away, we still made time to visit each other. Aiden and I were always stuck to each other like glue because we got along so well and we were only a few months apart.
One of my favorite memories of visiting Aiden was when I was about 5 years old, we were over at Aiden’s house visiting and I was chasing him through his house. As we were running through his dining room I suddenly stopped and asked him what was on the kitchen table. It was this weird brown miniature house with candy and white frosting all over it. I had never seen one before. He told me it was a gingerbread house. That was the day I learned what a gingerbread house was.
Sadly, Aiden and I lost contact for about six years and our families didn’t visit each other at all during those times but recently over the summer we reconnected. I had learned that Aiden and his family had moved to New Orleans and he had learned that my parents had started getting a divorce. We’ve seen each other two more times since the summer but it still hasn’t been enough to fully reconnect. However, what I will say is that when Aiden and I saw each other for the first time in six years over the summer, it was so freaking awkward. After a bit of talking it was like we had spent no time apart. Now we text every couple of days to check in with each other and make sure we’re doing ok.
For those of you who are reading this, please check in with your friends. Especially long distance friends. Don’t let yourself go too long without talking to your friends. Even if your only form of communication is by mailing letters, do it. Don’t let anything get in the way of your friendship.
This is so coincidental, just the other day I got back in contact with one of my friends who had moved to Italy sometime around 2021. We were really good friends in New York, but his dad was ordered to be stationed somewhere in Italy, and we didn’t talk much after that because of the time zone difference. But he recently moved back and we might even visit sometime this year or the next.