My BFF

It was one year ago when I received a text message from Al (He is a kababata, kababayan, classmate in elementary and high school). I was glad to hear from him, though it was a wrong sent message, since I haven’t heard anything from him since Christmas. I replied thanking him for remembering me despite the fact that the message was not really for me. However, I was surprised by his next message. He struck me of his bluntness saying that I am no worth texting ‘cause I am a person so full of alibis.

I felt like I burnt that instant. It angered me and so I replied that “I don’t owe you any explanation” for anything that I misrepresent, he may call it alibi but I don’t care. I believed it was because of the supposed trip to Cavite several days after 2008 Christmas, that we agreed to visit my cousin, our classmate in high school. That trip was cancelled as I tried to explain it to him because the supposed host was out of town. My cousin went home to the province for some emergency. He was suspicious of my qualification and now I found out that he assumed me of making excuses.

With that bluntness which made me flared out, I billed him of his 2-year old unpaid debt. He borrowed it from me with a promise to pay right away, and as far as I can remember, he said a week after that date. I listened to his excuses and alibis that prolonged the settlement of such debt.

Erick, my partner, cautioned me from attacking or quarrelling with Al. He said that Al was just jealous of me, that Al is grumpy since I don’t have much time for my friends (that includes him). Ferdie, another common friend, has mentioned our disagreement; meaning that Al has been spreading tales about our conflict to people we both knew other than Ferdie. I told Ferdie then to tell Al that I have “no comment” on whatever he has been telling.

A month later, reconciliation happened at one coffee night our friends used to hold in Cubao. I attended the coffee meet-up with partner Erick and I noticed that Ferdie was there too. But I never thought that Ferdie and Erick set up the meeting between me and Al. I was inside the coffee shop reading Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons when the culprit entered with the conspirators. Al greeted me first and I seconded without pretentions, then we kissed each others cheek as we usually do. And it was as if nothing happened, nothing wrong between us. We exchanged felicitations, just because we in fact have not seen each other since December 25.

Then Al proposed a lunch the following day, he said his treat. And so we are friends once again, I mean friends back again. Confllict is a test of true friendship. Well, I really believed he is a best friend forever.