Good bye, friend

All my life I felt that I had differences with the world. I saw things differently, like a child who is just getting to know what he likes. While others liked comedy movies, I preferred horror and science fiction movies. While others liked to go out to play sports or hang out with their friends, I preferred to be cooped up at home reading National Geographic magazines.

While others loved to party at the rural festivals that took place in the town where I lived, full of Colombian peasant music, meat, and lots of cows and horses everywhere, I preferred to be at home watching Carl Sagan's science program.

I had a very satisfactory childhood and adolescence, but my way of being; different from the others, started to be minor little annoyance for my family; especially for my father.

He tried to get me to play sports like baseball or soccer; sports I was not good at. I only felt an affinity for basketball, but this only lasted for a few months, then I went back to my routine life as an isolated kid who watches weird movirod magazines.

My personality never helped me make friends. In hig, school, I was bullied and people avoided talking to me because of my weird tastes. I had grown accustomed to that inevitable, foggy life by assimilating the idea that I would never fit in the society, and that if I did, it would be because I got people who understood me since we were linked by the same tastes.

In the end, it wasn't a group of people, but it was a boy. When I reached the 4th year, a new student had entered. At first, I didn't pay attention to him because he seemed like just another one of the bunch, but I was very wrong.

At recess, I was alone as usual counting my Pokemon cards, when I felt someone approaching me: "Fuck, they're coming to bother me!" was the first thing I thought, since recess was like a hostile jungle to survive. I didn't turn around or say anything, I just waited for the punch they were going to give me.

"Wow, you've got a lot of cards, you sure have completed the selection!" Said a voice, as I turned and looked up I knew it was the new guy.

"Do you collect them too?" I asked him with a trembling voice, he nodded his head, sat down next to me and we started talking about the cards.

I hadn't realized it instantly, but I noticed how handsome he was. He had a clean, pleasant face, with a stunning gaze directed by his huge green eyes. His brown hair was beautiful and shiny; straight, with waves that were not easily disarranged by the wind, I thought about asking him what kind of shampoo he used, but I thought it was not the time.

He had a very sweet voice, I loved to listen to him when he told me about some science fiction series or movie. He told me that his favorite series was Battlestar Galactica, and I confessed that I had never seen it.

His eyes bugged out and he looked at me like a weirdo, "Do you want to come over to my house and watch an episode?" In that instant, I was surprised by her invitation. "Yes, sure!" I replied and he told me his home address.

He was so cute and kind that I didn't miss the opportunity, so in the afternoon, after school, I went to see him. His mom met me in the living room; that's where we were going to watch the show. The lady was always smiling, because she was happy that her son had made a friend so quickly.

We stayed there watching the episode with some soda and snacks, and while we were doing that, he explained to me everything that was going on. I didn't understand anything, I just liked listening to him. I looked at him and smiled, but at the same time, I was aware that it couldn't be that obvious.

After that day, we became good friends. We called each other on the phone and didn't hang out together at school. All this went on until the end of the 4th year. In the 5th year, he didn't come back, because his family had everything planned to leave the country. He went to Spain and has been there ever since.

The time difference affected us a lot, as he was busy when I was not, and vice versa. Until one day he changed his phone number and we never got in touch again. It was a real shame. I felt depressed because I had lost the only friend I had at school. 5th year was not the same without him, but I managed to adapt little by little as my new classmates were more mature and didn't judge you for having different tastes. However, despite those positive things, I still missed my best friend.