Right next to me were two kids from a primary school.
"I'll bet you 10 dollars that I'm getting off the train at this station."
"That's not fair!"
"Well, then if I got off at this station you're getting off this station tomorrow as well."
They started a little fight, pushing each other around.
What has to happen has to happen, the doors opened. They both got off.
Some shouting. The doors were opened longer than they usually do.
One of the kids got back onto the train, the other stood on the platform.
"I told you I could get off!"
Doors started closing.
"You're getting off at this station tomorrow!"
Giggles. "See you soon! Ha!"
"See you tomorrow!"
The train starts to depart. They look into each other until they were out of sight.
* * *
The train journey continues.
I don't know where the other kid got off. But their conservation kept me thinking.
It was so simple in them. All they need to know is that they are going to see each other tomorrow. That's it.
I wonder, why sometimes we tend to look for "friends" that are "eternal", that are "forever", or friendships that are very "intimate", "close". What I saw in those two were very simple: taking a train together, playing around, a moment without the hassle...
The irony of us. We want friends because they can get us out of the burden we are in, they can free us, they can cheer us up. But at the same time we are worried of making sure that our friends stay next to us, be with us whenever and wherever we want - at home, at school, anywhere. We want to "invest" in them so that they stay with us. We think of plans of what to do so that our relationship can sustain. We think that them being friends with other people will in return make our relationship not as stable. We think so much of them that they're being a burden on us too. The irony.
Sometimes we see people being jealous of other's friendships, we hate to be forever alone. We want a friend. A companion. But what is real friendship built upon?
