It's nearly ten, I'm sitting at the table with my auntie Siobhan and her friend Nicola. Siobhan has known Nicola since she was in playschool, which I think is adorable. They're well close, still! I suppose its like me and Iseabail, but not to the same extent.
I remember the day I was told that her auntie Mary was sick and and she wouldn't be living in Wexford anymore, she wouldn't be going to the Community School anymore and it turn I wouldn't be seeing her nearly every day as I had done that previous Summer. I was on my home from England at the time, I had spent 4 days in my Granny's and was so excited to go home and be reunited with the people I had been deprived of seeing for far too long in a 12 year old's mind. Mummy Hughes rang Dad, they were talking for a long time. They were talking about the arrangements for mine and Iseabail's seeping for the night, or so I thought..
Daddy finished on the phone with Linda and turned to me, he explained to me that Iseabail's auntie Mary was very sick and I cried. I cried for the family and for the pain that Iseabail was feeling. As we sat in the lounge in Bristol airport I wasn't hungry to eat, I was hungry for hugs from Iseabail, hungry to hear her laugh and joke with me, hungry to know she was okay, and that she was still Izzybelly because when she's okay, I know that I'll eventually feel okay.
Daddy then told me that Iseabail, my best friend in the world would be moving at least an hour away.. An hour is a reasonably long time for a 12 year old, it is. I cried. I cried for ages. I broke down and cried in Bristol airport and I didn't even feel like a loser. I remember exactly how I felt, I felt lost. We were starting secondary school within two weeks and to be going to a big scary secondary school felt daunting enough as it was. The thought of going to a big scary secondary school without Iseabail felt horrible, made my skin crawl I guess.
I can probably count the amount of times on three hands the amount of times Ive seen her since she moved to Ringsend. At first it was really exciting, we said we'd write letters to each other and stay up late on the phone. We were both too lazy to write letters, we were far too lazy to write letters. I went to the community school and she didn't and I made new friends aswell as she did. I was really afraid though, afraid she make cooler friends in Dublin that I would never compare to, afraid she have the same sleepovers with them as she did with me, afraid that she'd wake up one day and just forget me and forget us really..
We always had news for one another, whether it was about boys or growing up or embarrassing moments in school, run ins with teacher or people we were hating on, we'd always tell each other. It might not have been immediate communication but we'd always talk eventually. One Summer we skyped alot, of course it was never the same thing but to some extent we could make faces at one another and see instant reactions to crazy things we said about farmers and hay bails and in general agriculture related humour. I liked that especially..
I'd be lying if I were to rant on about how we're still as close as ever and we're always in contact and all that jazz. Because in reality, we very rarely get to see each other, we're nowhere near as close and most of time we don't talk. Although in fairness, we've been talking alot recently and I'm going to see her very soon! But yeah.. We're alot like a long distance relationship, the time you spend together is always amazing and full of laughter but the time you spend apart gets less painful.. Which is sad for anyone I guess, because even though you dont often forget a person who left your life suddenly or without warning; you start to forget them. The way they talked, their smell, the way they laughed or even the expressions they made. Unfortunately, Iseabail wouldn't ever let me forget her, no matter how hard I try.. Its something I've learned to live with, I guess.
Nah, I love her really. I do, I'm not lying.
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Teenage Wizard xo
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