Friendships should be
cherished. They
should last a long time.
Unfortunately, many do not.
However,
there may be a time when you and that special person become . . .
Friends Forever
Sixty-six
years ago, as the sun shined through the living room window of Sally’s house on
a beautiful California morning, Sally and Greta lay on the carpet staring at
the ceiling. Two thirteen-year-old teenagers enjoyed life and the pleasure of
each other’s company.
“He’s
cute.” Sally murmured.
“Who’s
he?” Greta asked.
“Robert,”
Sally replied with a lilt in her voice.
“Ick,
Robert?” Greta groaned.
“What’s
wrong with Robert?” Sally questioned.
“He’s a
stick figure.”
“Stick
figure?”
“Yeah.
He’s so thin, a strong wind will break him in half,” Greta giggled.
“You’re
just jealous he looks at me with stars in his eyes and ignores you,” Sally
said, with a smirk on her face.
“Those
aren’t stars. They’re question marks.”
“Question
marks?”
“Yup. And
he doesn’t have any answers to the questions.”
“So what
do you want to do today?” Sally inquired, trying to change the subject.
“I don’t
have a clue. What do you want to do?” Greta asked.
“Become
rich and famous—someone people look up to. A goddess, I think.”
“Well, my
heavenly lady, then what would you expect from me?”
“Bow down
and kiss my feet, my little peasant,” Sally stated.
“That’d
make me sick to my stomach. You haven’t changed your socks in weeks. They smell
like garbage.”
The
beauty of this special relationship continued for over twenty years, with each
young woman being the maid of honor at the other’s wedding and then the
godmother for the two beautiful children that came from both marriages.
But then
skies darkened and their lives changed in ways no one could have imagined. The
two friends, with a cherished bond, drifted apart, as they traveled the
sometimes-circuitous highway of life. Distanced from one another, their worlds
separated. Would they ever cross paths again? As time marched on, this seemed
to be more and more unlikely. However, both of them did become successful.
An
advertising guru, Greta worked from her California home, helping clients sell
their products. She loved her husband and her family and lived in a large house
in a prestigious community.
Sally and
her family moved to the East Coast. A beloved teacher, she was very respected
in her community. People admired her accomplishments and the lovely family she
and her husband were raising.
The two
women envisioned a wonderful life ahead of them. Their kids were their main
focus. They believed they were destined for great futures. A positive attitude
was the umbrella that protected the families from a sometimes-unpredictable
world.
This
wasn’t an unbelievable dream. They felt it was meant to happen, but . . .
One
morning, Greta awakened to her children’s screeching voices. She raced toward
the screaming and what she saw scared the living daylights out of her.
Her two
young children, ages six and eight, were being taken by ghostly beings. Fetched
like prey, they disappeared into the heavens above, as she shook in horror and
crumbled to the floor.
“My God!
This can’t be happening,” she yelled, but there was nobody around to hear her.
Three
thousand miles away, on the East Coast, Sally’s head filled with a thunderous
cry for help. She dropped the book she was reading, jumped up off the couch,
and ran into the backyard where her two children, ages seven and nine, were
playing tag. What she witnessed shook her to the core. Her kids were being
lifted toward the sky by ghostly creatures. Seeing them swallowed up by the
clouds, she fell to the ground.
Greta
almost choked on her saliva. What she observed was beyond belief. Who could she
call for help? Nobody would understand.
Sally lay
in dismay on the grass. “Help me!” she screamed. “Help me!”
Coming
out of nowhere, a voice echoed, “I will. I will. Close your eyes and open your
heart. I am your forever.”
She had
no idea what this meant or where the voice was coming from. Yet she felt as if
she’d heard these same words a long time ago. Her heart warmed to the thought
of that special someone she’d befriended as a child coming back into her life.
“Greta, I hear you,” she whimpered, tears flowing from her eyes.
Greta’s
heart pounded out of control, as this response ran through her mind. “You can
hear me? she asked. You really can?”
Both
women were beside themselves, in a world of the unknown. Had their relationship
been rekindled? And what about the children?
Sally
tried to push herself up from the grass, but she couldn’t move. She lay frozen,
staring up into a sea of both white and dark clouds. And then a message
appeared from above, “Your Time Will Come.” She had no clue what this meant.
Greta was
overcome with hope from the mysterious communications she’d been receiving from
Sally. Then the clouds parted and the words, “Your Time Will Come,” appeared
before her. She, too, had no clue what this meant, but in her heart, she felt
everything would work out, as heaven’s light shined brightly upon her.
A slight
breeze blew cool air into Sally’s face. She twitched and she could now move her
limbs. She propped herself up and looked around. Something seemed strange. She
wasn’t in her backyard. She was in a beautiful garden, with bright colored
flowers all around her—one much like Eden.
Greta
picked her tired body up from the hallway floor. But she wasn’t in her home.
Now, in a garden of her dreams, she smelled and saw life as it should
be—perfect.
Then
serene music flowed around them—music of love, peace, and hope. A voice
resonated from above, “You are my chosen ones. Lead your children down the
garden path to a tomorrow of success and happiness.”
Both
women screamed, “Our children?”
And there
they were, running and jumping—enjoying the wonderful feeling of freedom and
bliss. Alive and well, they were the future of a better world.
Sally
smiled and Greta breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other, with
tears of joy in their eyes, as they sat on the floor of the Golden Age
Retirement Home going through items that brought back memories of a wonderful
past. Both now seventy-nine and widowed, their four grown children had made
them proud. All were prominent leaders of a country better for who they’d
become—a state governor, a president of a major university, a famous surgeon,
and a district court judge.
They
laughed and chattered, as if they still were thirteen.
“He’s
cute.” Sally murmured.
“Who’s
he?” Greta asked.
“Jason,”
Sally replied with a lilt in her voice.
“Ick,
Jason?” Greta groaned.
“What’s
wrong with Jason?” Sally questioned.
“He’s a
stick figure.”
“Stick
figure?”
“Yeah.
He’s so thin, a strong wind will break him in half,” Greta giggled.
“You’re
just jealous he looks at me with stars in his eyes and ignores you,” Sally
said, with a smirk on her face.
“Those
aren’t stars. They’re question marks.”
“Question
marks?”
“Yup. And
he doesn’t have any answers to the questions.”
“So what
do you want to do today?” Sally inquired, trying to change the subject.
“I don’t
have a clue. What do you want to do?” Greta asked.
“Be with
you and enjoy every moment,” Sally replied.
As God
watched over them, they would never part ways again. The beauty of this special
relationship would last forever.
Copyright © 2024 Alan Lowe. All rights reserved.
