Untitled Journal

What a Sunday it was, truly.

I’ve been meaning to write about this ages ago, but after last great Sunday outing with them I just had to write it now, about my high school friends. Are you still in touch with your high school friends? Because I am one of the fortunate that still do.

In all honesty, I’m quite proud of this little group of friends of mine. My mother still nags sometimes about how she feels that I still think I’m 18, leaving my husband and baby at home once in a while weekend to go out with my groupie. Truthfully, I am so lucky that I am bestowed with a man, a Malay man, who acknowledges my need as a human to socialize. And really, it is best when you do it with your high school friends.

We all went to Convent Kajang, which personally I think if you live in Kajang and plan on for normal day school, this is where you would want to send your daughters to. Not that I’m downgrading the other schools around, but the people in Kajang know this already. Its quite hard to get into, like all convent schools. But once you’re in, I bet it will be the time of your life. Just like it was for me.

The people that I used to be closed with and still do consists those who went to the same class as me. It didn’t matter if I changed class during my five years there, because once I’m close with someone, I’m stuck with that person. And in this case, quite a few. Suffice to say, they’re my comfort zones. I feel free around them and it might not be too much to say that your high school friends are probably the kind of friends that know you best. They’re the ones who understand that you can’t wait for your food when you’re hungry because you always finished your packed lunch before the recess time, the one who knows you’re actually so loud although at any other times with any other people you seem very passive, the ones who already knows all your history because when you were young, you only had your friends to tell your dark secrets to. You’re not afraid to talk about it again because they already know and even if they judged, it was a long time ago. Its one of the most treasured things that no one can buy and once its gone, it will be your greatest lost.

But it isn’t really a stroll in a park to maintain such friendships. After all, after high school everybody went on with their lives, went to pursue their adulthood somewhere else or whatever it is that they look for in life. Career, marriage, adventure, anything. At some point you’ll forget about them for awhile because you’re so passionate about the new freedom you just embark. But I found it hard to let go. Everywhere I went afterwards, every new friends I made after high school were incomparable to them. I felt like I had to change a lot of myself in order to fit in with some people, either because I met them during my adult age or simply from a different background. Most of the times it was just inappropriate to be myself because everyone else is either proper, reserved or just bloody serious. It didn’t feel as free as before, so that’s why I kept calling them every chance I get when I’m back in Kajang. Now with Facebook and all sort of social networks online in the world, there’s almost no excuse to not be in touch.

Organizing an outing or reunion isn’t as easy either, no matter how close you are with them. Especially now with the babies and the husbands and the work, it’s almost impossible to get every single one to come whenever you set a date. But you do what you can. Like all relationships, friendships like this need commitment and effort too. An effort to pick up the phone and ask how’s it going, an effort to type a private message asking if they’re free next weekend, an effort to be able to attend their weddings, their children’s aqiqahs, their bachelorette parties, their Raya open houses or whatever. After all, you don’t live alone in this world. Friends do come and go but you won’t be getting much if you don’t make an effort to ask them to stay.

Oh well, I do not know how long this friendship is going to last, but I am optimistic that it will go on well, forever might sound too ambitious but I believe in friendship the term sky is the limit also applies. But for sure, I am admiring each and every of my friend’s effort to come whenever I call, to attend whenever I invite, even though as a woman we all know that we are leaving our priorities back home. What can I say? Thank God, the ones who got married, did it with the right men.