Old Flames and Old Friends
I recently attempted to reconnect with an ex boyfriend on Facebook, but as of now have had no response. There could be many reasons for this, one of them being he doesn’t remember me. I’m sure it is true that you remember more the ones who “dumped” you rather than the ones you “dumped.” I do hope that he will eventually accept my request and does remember me. I like to think that we would have been friends if it weren’t for the teenage complications that we weaved into the fabric of our relationship with too much anticipation and expectation. Ah yes the wisdom of age and the clarity of hindsight. I really did like him, and still do, at least I still like the memory of him even though he unceremoniously “dumped” me for the ex he would slate every chance he got. I don’t recall been particularly heart broken by the breakup I don’t think I really expected “us” to last forever but I was bummed at being single again. But despite all the “history” I would enjoy reconnecting with him and finding out about the paths he has walked to where he is today.
“Facebook” for all the time it can waste and obsession it can create has put me back in touch with so many people, like those I went through primary school with and the girls I charged through my high school years with. Looking back there are those I would’ve treated so differently, those I should have ignored, those I would like to forget and those with whom I will remain forever friends despite the distance that separates us. I had a long typed conversation with one of my primary school classmates via Facebook recently and was vividly reminded of his wicked sense of humour which he has not lost. His recollection of those days brought them back to me so vividly and the ease with which we were able to “chat” emboldened me to approach some of the other class mates to catch up, unfortunately I have not had much success yet. But I shall persist! It is likely however that I will eventually erase some of these people from my “Facebook” page due to lack of communication but for now they represent memories of an almost forgotten childhood and youth.
“Facebook” also helped to reconnect me with a friend who I have known now for more than half my life. Together we experienced and experimented with life, together we shared first boyfriends, first kisses, first discos, heartbreaks, laughs and tears. I was there with her as she recovered from a hip operation, we spend entire school holidays together and a fortune of our father’s incomes on phone calls that went on for hours. We saw every blockbuster 80’s movie together went on loads of double dates, hell we even dated best friends. I don’t think there is a song from that era that does not spark a memory of our escapades together. Music was ever present; it played such an important role in our lives, in our view of the world, our expectations of love and our sense of fashion. We would dance up and down the passage to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” or bop self consciously to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” at the local disco. I don’t think we have ever admitted to stomping about the bedroom arms linked shouting along to “Nelly the Elephant!” We had pillow fights to “The Cure” and discussed in-depth the social messages in the music of “Depeche Mode.” We spent many nights discussing, arguing, giggling and sharing secrets into the small hours of the morning. We went from teenager to young adults living comfortably in each other’s pockets. But then we grew up and our paths so intertwined and interconnected began to split apart and even though we shared those memorable times like our 21st birthdays, our weddings and the birth of her children we were eventually walking life in two different directions. Then, almost ten years, new experiences and new friends later I received a “friends request” and a message on my “Facebook” page saying: “I really hope it’s you Manth!” So now across the physical miles that divide us we have set about repairing a bond forged in the fire of our idyllic youth and rusted by disillusion, adulthood and reality.
“Facebook” for all the time it can waste and obsession it can create has put me back in touch with so many people, like those I went through primary school with and the girls I charged through my high school years with. Looking back there are those I would’ve treated so differently, those I should have ignored, those I would like to forget and those with whom I will remain forever friends despite the distance that separates us. I had a long typed conversation with one of my primary school classmates via Facebook recently and was vividly reminded of his wicked sense of humour which he has not lost. His recollection of those days brought them back to me so vividly and the ease with which we were able to “chat” emboldened me to approach some of the other class mates to catch up, unfortunately I have not had much success yet. But I shall persist! It is likely however that I will eventually erase some of these people from my “Facebook” page due to lack of communication but for now they represent memories of an almost forgotten childhood and youth.
“Facebook” also helped to reconnect me with a friend who I have known now for more than half my life. Together we experienced and experimented with life, together we shared first boyfriends, first kisses, first discos, heartbreaks, laughs and tears. I was there with her as she recovered from a hip operation, we spend entire school holidays together and a fortune of our father’s incomes on phone calls that went on for hours. We saw every blockbuster 80’s movie together went on loads of double dates, hell we even dated best friends. I don’t think there is a song from that era that does not spark a memory of our escapades together. Music was ever present; it played such an important role in our lives, in our view of the world, our expectations of love and our sense of fashion. We would dance up and down the passage to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” or bop self consciously to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” at the local disco. I don’t think we have ever admitted to stomping about the bedroom arms linked shouting along to “Nelly the Elephant!” We had pillow fights to “The Cure” and discussed in-depth the social messages in the music of “Depeche Mode.” We spent many nights discussing, arguing, giggling and sharing secrets into the small hours of the morning. We went from teenager to young adults living comfortably in each other’s pockets. But then we grew up and our paths so intertwined and interconnected began to split apart and even though we shared those memorable times like our 21st birthdays, our weddings and the birth of her children we were eventually walking life in two different directions. Then, almost ten years, new experiences and new friends later I received a “friends request” and a message on my “Facebook” page saying: “I really hope it’s you Manth!” So now across the physical miles that divide us we have set about repairing a bond forged in the fire of our idyllic youth and rusted by disillusion, adulthood and reality.
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