I am in North-eastern Borneo. After leaving this place for slightly more than two years, I spent days mending my son's pants. Believe it or not, there is one remaining pair of short pants from a purchase in Cheng Rai in year 2000. I remember that was back in a time that a Malaysian dollar was changed for 14 Thai Bahts. We bought six pairs as the price was unbelievably low.
In the sewing box, I found a small heart hand made by my close friend in Form 6. She gave that to me prior to my leaving for USA to attend college. That little pink heart visited the States, travelling through Virginia and Texas and went back to my home country.
You may ask me, if I treasure such a small keep sake, why am I not in touch with her today?
I believe that friends should come from the same stations in life. Had I married my second choice suitor, I guess I would still be friends with her. Her husband is a person who has dollar signs in his eyes. My husband and I came from lower middle class. Of course as he was an engineer and I used to lecture, we did well before the children came. The minute I resigned and went part-time, our standard of living dropped.
My friend did not change much, she is probably the same warm, caring and fun person I was attracted to at age 18. But I have changed. In listening to my mum's advice, I did not choose inherited wealth. In choosing to spend time training my children to be all that God designed them to be, I learn to be content with whatever little I have.
I believe if I meet her today, we would still enjoy spending time with each other. The fact that she had worked in UK and had headed a foreign bank in the middle east would not come between us. Yet as her career probably ends at age 60, mine has barely begun. The life of a writer often starts later in life. Once again, our lives are out of phase. When she was building a successful career, I was minding children and dabbling in special education. Now that my troop of children are grown and independent, I could finally pursue my calling. Certain things are not meant to be. My friendship with her was like two ships passing each other, both could dock next to each other for a limited period of time. Then each would go its own way. I kept my little pink heart to remind me of her, of how much she meant to me for a few years of my life.
