The way I see it, there are 3 kinds of friends. There are acquaintances, friends and then there are best friends. Acquaintances are those who you walk by dozens of times, smile politely to and occasionally may share a few words with. Friends are those you can hang out with, but they may only be great for certain instances. For example, I have a friend who I may go to the movies with, but maybe not dare take him/her to a sporting event. There is another friend who I may take to restaurant but never to a museum.
Anyways, I just established that so I could describe my best friend. We have gone through many things over our 15-year friendship. Although distances made it harder for us to see each other on a regular basis, we always made a point of seeing each other. True, we each made new sets of friends, and despite not seeing each other everyday, it didn't matter because our friendship isn't contingent on seeing each other daily.
I got sick a little over 2 years ago. I got so sick, it literally had my life on the line. This best friend of mine, despite my horrible conditions and very little hope of my recovery visited me and kept a strong face while in my presence. At one point she told me I had to get better. It was not an option, but rather a necessity. She asked me if I remembered sometime, probably five years into our friendship, when we promised that no matter where life took us, we would do anything possible to keep in touch. We promised that when either of us met the man we chose to marry, we would be sure that the other would be the first one (outside the family) to know. We promised that no matter what, we would be at each other's wedding, and will always be attentive to the other's family.
Of course, it is not strictly because of this promise that I survived the illness. The doctors I had, the nurses who attended me, and the amazing support from my family and friends kept me alive, and has helped me return to college. But I do like to think that this bond that I have with my best girl friend and that that promise we made really did help pull me through.
So, it is with great joy that I can say that as of a few days ago, my friend told me that in a little over a year, it will be my turn to hold my ground with the "I will be at your wedding" promise. Without a doubt, I will keep my end of the promise. And because of all that she has done for me so far, I know she will hold up with her end when my time comes.
