By edanTold by my nephew “Austin”…
When I think about my first best friend, I think of Louie. I’m pretty sure I met him in preschool, maybe around 2020 or 2021 or 2022. I was little then, around four or five, that kind of age where whole days feel big even if you can’t remember every part of them properly later. I don’t really remember exactly what Louie was like when we first became friends. I think I’ve forgotten that part. But I still remember that he was there, and that matters to me.
Some of the things I remember are the strange little moments that stick in your head for no reason except that they felt important at the time. I remember one day Louie was sick and didn’t stay at preschool. He had to go home. It’s funny what your mind keeps. Out of all the normal days we probably had, that’s one of the things I still remember about him.
The clearest memory, though, is me getting a plastic diamond stuck up my nose. I think I was playing with Louie when it happened. I remember it being worrying, because it was properly stuck up there and I couldn’t just ignore it. I was little, so something like that felt huge. Then my mum and dad picked me up and took me to the hospital.
What I remember most about the hospital is this little room. We got there, went in, and almost straight away I sneezed the diamond out. Just like that. After all the worry and the trip there, it came out as soon as I was in the room. I remember it feeling like it wasn’t worth the time going, even though of course at the time everyone had to make sure I was okay.
That’s what I remember most about my first best friend. Not some big perfect story, just preschool, Louie, a sick day, and a plastic diamond that caused all this trouble and then came out in one sneeze. It feels small now, but back then it was a whole world.