I remember his room, with spotless, white walls, and a wallpapered border by the ceiling that had red and blue rocket ships on it. I remember the pin-straight, mushroom-cut hair that topped his smiling face with the dark eyes and long lashes. I remember our numerous trips to Disney World where we raised havoc everywhere we went, pulling the tails of all the walk-around characters, and ripping pages out of the hotel phone book. I remember his basement, always colder than the rest of the house, where I could be found every weekend of the year playing hide and seek or a board game. I remember our last New Years Eve together, watching the ball drop on TV and playing an endless game of monopoly until we were both too tired to keep our eyes open. I remember every detail of my oldest friend and our friendship, but I cannot remember the day we met or the day our friendship died away. .
I still think about Anthony now and then, in fact just the other day I ran into his father at the supermarket. We talked for a while about the different colleges Anthony and I are applying to. I realized that there was only one school where both of us was applying and it was far from the top on both of our lists. I wondered if I even wished Anthony "Happy Birthday" this year. I am told he plays football, basketball, and soccer; ironic that I've never been to a game of any of those sports in my entire life. Often, I look over at my list of online friends, stare at his screen name, and consider sending him a message, then decide it will be too awkward.
I live with the youthful memory of Anthony; but regardless, with time we have each made new friendships. Maybe he still keeps a memory of me, but if he does, it must be like a long forgotten picture that he has not had time to look at everyday. Time has forced each of us to grow in entirely different directions, yet I continue to write this short documentary of our friendship.