“1+1= … 2. Yes, I did my first math problem!” I thought to myself. It was the middle of the first day of nursery school. School would be much duller, but I had a friend. I was one, and he was one, and we became friends in an instant. 1+1=2, and two are much better than one. Our friendship was such that if one of us did not have anything to eat, the other would give him his own food. We fit together like puzzle pieces. We played together at recess, we would “hang out” with each other, and we would never run out of thing to say to each other. It would be an astonishing event if we did not have a play-date with each other in a week. We were the best of friends, and the thought to be apart was revulsion.


“Sidhuuuuuuuuuuuuu! S-I-D-H-U! I sang. It was a song that I created just for him, since it was his name. I was at a party, with all of my friends, but best of all, I was there with my best friend, Sid. It had been about 7 years since we met, and now, at the age of 10, we were still the greatest of friends. I thought the day couldn’t get any better, but that was before I received the news.


“Guys, I know this might be all of a sudden, but we are moving,” he announced. I was taken aback, I mean, my best friend is moving. Why? Come to think of it, I did not even want to know. All I knew was that he was moving. It was hard to withstand the emotions. There was something in my throat, and it must have been the size of a bullfrog. Shivers ran down my spine, and my eyes swelled. Goosebumps appeared, and I must have been pale as paper. That bullfrog was even licking all around my throat, but I managed to regain my senses.


“Wow, are you sure about moving? If you do, try to come back once in a while. Hope you make friends quickly, you probably will. We will all miss you,” I blurted out. I suppose that must have sounded really weird, but he didn’t mind.


“Don’t worry; it’s only half an hour away from here. We will still meet a lot,” he replied. “Now let’s go back upstairs and play Brawl!” I wondered if it would be the last time we would, but he was only going to be a little farther than before. Sure, we may not meet as often, but it can’t be that bad, or will it. My mind boggled with questions, I had the headache of a lifetime. The puzzle was unfinished, and 2-1=1, a lone number.


As soon as I got home, I ran upstairs, went into my room, and closed the door. It must have been as clear as light, because my parents came upstairs, and opened my door. “Anish, we know that Sid is leaving, but that doesn’t mean you and him can’t be friends and meet each other anymore. It just means that you will have your friendship strengthened. Think of the bright side. It’s a new house, a big one too, even with a pool. You can go there and have fun with him,” they said.


I found the odds of that were impossible, but I just nodded my head. How could anyone think that if one’s best friend is moving, you will be able to have the fun that you used too, or even have fun at all? So what if he might have a better house, if I never get to go there to meet him, what difference would that make? My parents tucked me in, switched the light off, leaving me all alone, drowned in thoughts.

As I awoke in the morning, I realized my parents were right. I called Sid over for a play date, the last before he moved the next day. We had the same fun as we did in any other play date, but this one seemed like the best in the world, something that I would always remember. As he left, I hugged him, my best friend. I then realized that illogical as it would be, one thing was sure. 2-1 still =2, at least for us. The distance between us may be greater, but that just means our bond must be greater. The puzzle was finished.


I was right and wrong. We didn’t have as many play dates as we may have had before, but we still had the best of fun. I do go to his house a lot, and we still are best friends. As he came over today, these memories were sparked. He is the best friend anyone could have.