Childhood Memories

I never thought I had childhood memories. I thought I was too stupid and could not remember anything from when I was little. In some dramas, the characters' childhood reflects a lot of their actions and character and that memory is quite vivid in their minds.

I had no such thing... at least that's what I thought.

Yesterday I got in touch with a friend whom I've known since I was at least four and it brought back a flood of memories. I first met him when I was locked out of my own house with my grandma and my younger sister. We didn't have cell phones at that time and couldn't reach my parents', who were at church, cellphones. So I went over to our next door neighbor, whom I had never met and asked to use their phone. I guess I was really sad because the boy not only came out with his house phone but also a pistachio and offered it to me. Then, I don't know when or how but I came to have two houses. I remember his dogs, his house which I thought was too dark for my liking, his garage that had the air hockey table and hurt my fingers all the time. We played Pokemon on our game boys. Back then was the era of game boy colors and game boy black and white. One time we even had a picnic in his front lawn. We brought out blankets and ate Mexican food. We thought it would be fun to watch a car run over an apple and we weren't wrong.

He came out and told me something honestly even though he was afraid I would reject him. How could I ever hate him? Even if he killed someone I don't think I could hate him. I would be shocked and disappointed but I would not hate him. I sincerely love and treasure him as my friend. It's weird how childhood friends last throughout the years even years where you've been apart for so long. When you come back together, you just have so much to talk about and catch up on. As we grow up, making new friends, real friends, is hard.

The other prominent memory is when I taught my grandma her numbers and the alphabet in English because she wanted to communicate with her grand kids. That's when I remember the shaky handwriting. I was leaning over the table to watch my grandma concentrate even though she was already in her 70s. I'm so glad I at least have one memory of my grandma.

These are the memories that make me warm inside because I tend to forget memories, good or bad. I don't particularly know why I'm so fond of childhood memories. All I know is that I treasure these memories more than I thought I did.

"Youth is wasted on the young." - Mark Twain