Cheers to Friendship.

Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a longtime we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.

Niklas is video calling me, I’m beyond excited to answer it. I excuse myself to go to my room; everyone was in the living room seeing a movie, Jude was running around like a pursued rat, mom clutches to a throw pillow intensely starring at the screen, new dad’s (I’ve always called him that, since mom wasn’t okay with uncle) attention is divided - seeing the movie while scrolling his phone.

I close my room door behind me as I answer the call, as usual it starts with "Rabbit teeth".

Rabbit teeth was the name he called me that made us have our first fight on the day we first met, when my family and I just moved to the estate. Unfortunately we went to the same school, were in the same class and were seat mates and as expected, the teasing continued.

My mom didn’t come to pick me up from school one day and only I was left with the gate man in school. The worms in my stomach were having a fight and it was almost dark, I saw a jeep halting at the school gate. It was Niklas’ mom, she came to get me. I was beyond joyful, I tried to contain it immediately I saw Niklas at the back seat. We didn’t say anything to each other.

The next day at school, I passed a note to Niklas asking him how his mom knew I was still at school. He replied that he didn’t see my window’s curtain open as usual and figured out that I wasn’t back, neither was my mom nor dad’s car parked outside. I was amazed at how he knew I always opened my curtain immediately I returned from school, I didn’t let him know, I just thanked him and our journey started.

He still kept calling me rabbit teeth, I had one anyway. We did our homework together while we waited for our parents to pick us from school, I exchanged my egg-white for his egg-yolk whenever we had boiled eggs as toppings for lunch, we played at my back yard in the evenings. For 5 years of our childhood life we were best of friends, almost always seen together in school and at home, our families became close because of us; we still exchanged egg-yolk for egg-white.

One morning, my mom and I left the house. My parents broke up. I didn’t get the chance to see Niklas, I couldn’t say good bye. I missed our friendship everyday, I always remembered the games we played at our backyard and I stopped eating egg.

Years had already gone by. Someone called me one day, it was Niklas. I knew it was him because he called me "rabbit teeth" immediately I said "hello".

"Niklas", I said tentatively. He chuckled as he asked "how have you been?".

We spoken for minutes, catching up on every single detail of our lives since we last saw. He told me of how his dad almost divorced his mom, he told me of the nightmares he had for several months, of how he stopped eating egg, of how he was angry at me that I didn't tell him I was leaving, of how he sneaked his mom's phone to get my dad's number and begged him for my number; we talked for so long we lost track of time.

The call eventually ended. I thought long and hard if still being friends with Niklas was right, it would be betraying my mom.

Niklas mom and my dad had an affair - I overheard my parents’ argument the night before we moved and asked my mom years later why we left dad. She felt I was old enough, so she told me.

I missed Niklas and I still wanted us to be friends - I wasn't sure if he knew why his parents almost divorced or why my parents divorced, but I decided not be worried about it.

Having my friend back was all the miracle I needed.

Nothing changed between us, he knew all about my life and I knew all about his life. He always reminded me that he was keeping his egg-yolk for me.

His friendship was a gift and I'm glad about it.