The Fight

Seven years ago, I had a best friend whose name was Lely. We were lie twins as we shared many things in common. We had the same taste in music, loved to try new things, and talked a lot which make us become close to one another.

                One day, we were trying to bake a chocolate cake from a recipe we found on the internet. It was our first time baking a cake. We prepared the ingredients: flour, milk, baking powder, chocolate and others.  “Can you find the sugar?” I asked. “Yes. I think we can just use the sugar on the kitchen”, she replied. “Are you sure it is a sugar? It does not taste like sugar.” “I am very sure it is a sugar. I think there is something wrong with your taste bud. Let’s start! We are running out of time. My dad will be coming home anytime soon.” “So, let’s make an unforgettable cake”, I said. However, instead of making a delicious cake, the cake turned out to be the worst cake that anyone had ever tasted because we had accidentally added salt instead of sugar. I know my taste bud did not lie. I remembered Lely’s mum expression as soon as he had tasted the cake: “I think this will be the last time I let the two of you use my kitchen.” Everything changed in 2009 when the recipe of our friendship was ruined by one bad ingredient which is boyfriend.

                The fight started because of a small misunderstanding between us. I was doing an assignment with her boyfriend, Joe at that time which made Joe and I had to be together frequently to finish the assignment. She was jealous with me that she thought I want to take her boyfriend away from her. I ignored what she thought about me and still trying to be her best friend. Every time I invited her to have lunch together, she will find thousands of excuses to reject.

                After a few weeks, I noticed our relationship was getting worst. I could felt the distance between us was getting bigger. We rarely talked. After being patient for too long with her attitude, I decided to start follow her actions. We ignored one another. Teachers and friends realized the changed in our behavior. They kept on asking what happened to us. “Nothing happened,” I would say. “Everything is fine.”

                We then started to have new friends and avoiding each other. I requested to be in different class from her. For example when our eyes were accidentally attached to each other’s making typical eye contact however I started to feel the ‘irritation’ being around that kind of circumference forcing me to detached my eyes from hers. Lely and I never tried to talk to one another again after the fight. At that time, I knew my action was right, but I started to miss her presence in my heart. I miss the little things that we used to do together: walked home from school, for example. Losing a friend really made me feel like a part of me was missing. I started to feel alone even though I was with a group of friends. The chemistry in our group was not the same when I was with her. I knew I was lying to myself every time I told myself that I did not need her. The truth was I always thought about her every time I started to do things that we usually did together. She was so good in science subject. She had been the one I would seek for help every time I have problem with the subject. During the period of not talking to her, I had to struggle by myself to understand it if I was too lazy to ask the teacher.

                After we graduated from high school, each of us unintentionally enrolled to the same college, International Education College (INTEC) to pursue our A-Level.  However, we were in different major. She was majoring in Engineering while I choose to study Economics. Our friendship started to build up again when we tried to talk; as she was the only person that I know when I first went to the school. I tried to start the conversation and the first thing I asked her after three years of not talking was “Don’t you miss me?” and she answered “Life is not the same without you.” I was touched with her words because I also felt the same way as her. Waters started to fill my eyes and it dropped as tears. She gave me a hug and I was so happy to have my friend back in my arm. We decided to forget what had happened in the past and start over the relationship from where we stopped.

                Two year of ups and downs struggling for A-Level had passed. Lely and I passed the examination with flying colors. Now we are going through different paths. She is currently taking degree in Chemical Engineering at Purdue University and I am here majoring in Economics at Michigan State University.  Although we are not studying at the same university, I am glad knowing that we have achieved our dream to study abroad.

                However, I have detected something different in us. We were not as close as before.  I could feel the awkwardness when we were together. We don’t talk as much as we talked seven years ago. I know this friendship need time to be healed before it can be like before. As the saying goes “absence make the heart grows fonder.” Studying away from one another can give us some space to miss each other.  

                When I think about the fight now, I realized how immature we were at that time. If only I could return back to the time when the problem started, I will fight for this friendship to stay instead of avoiding it. The fight might not take place for years if there is more give and take in friendship. She is not perfect. Nor am I. We were created to complete each other. The taste to any relationship is always sweet and sour. It depends on how much sugar or salt we added into the recipe.