Saturday, February 25, 2017
눈에서 멀어지면 마음에서도 멀어진다
Friday, February 24, 2017
Out of sight, out of mind
One evening in mid-December two years ago, as it was getting dark, I received an email.
“I found your email address on Google. Do you remember me? I’m So-and-so, who went to Paris in 1978.”
How could I ever forget this friend? I had often searched for her name on Google, hoping to find a clue, but never did. I could only meet her in my dreams, missing her deeply.
Back in university, when most students were making friends and enjoying college life, I felt lost and alone. Then I met this friend, who was also alone like me. We became close, and soon another friend joined us. The three of us stuck together through all our school years. At the end of our final year, none of us had boyfriends. We often shared our worries and dreams about the future. One wanted to study in Paris, another wanted to get married, and I wanted to become a teacher. Surprisingly, all three of us made those dreams come true.
I still believe that dreams can come true if you work hard — because ours really did. So, when I received that email, I was truly happy.
I remembered walking home at night after drinking together — one friend had drunk too much and didn’t realize the heel of her high heel had broken off. She walked with a limp, laughing loudly. I also remembered how I used to feel a bit jealous of the other friend. Her mother always made her a new outfit whenever she went on a marriage date before graduation. I often looked at our old photos from school and missed those days.
The friend who rushed into marriage became a wealthy housewife. She looked at us with a face that seemed to say, “Are you two still acting like silly girls?” The friend who went to Paris and now lives in Amsterdam married a foreigner. It seemed life in Europe was hard for her, and she had changed, become a bit cold. I had also changed, maybe the most, after struggling through a tough life in New York.
Still, our conversation wasn’t awkward. But the warm, caring feelings we once had for each other were gone. Maybe because we all went too far in different directions? What we missed was not each other, but just the sweet memories from when we were young. We didn’t feel sad to say goodbye. We parted quickly, without promises to meet again.
They say when people are far apart, their hearts grow apart too. Those precious, youthful days have now quietly left me with a bitter feeling. I wonder... will we ever meet again?