Aoi’s Story
I was just in first grade, but I was already being treated like trash. Sometimes people would try to be my friend, but I would accidentally say something rude and they would just leave me. I blamed myself, but my mom said it was because I was so naive. I kept accidentally being rude. No one believed me when I told them that I didn’t mean to be mean. I also understand some things in a different way than most people do. I understand things in logic and thought, but not always in words. My dad always says, “If you understand it, then you can explain it.” That is truly not the case. And by only first grade, I was already being bullied, and rejected, and accidentally being rude to people and them leaving me. But in the middle of first grade, a new student came. He is in a special class, because he is blind. He always carries a walking stick to feel where he’s going, and his eyes are grey and clouded over. He walked up, shakily, to the front of the classroom, stood next to the teacher. He said that his name was Hiroyoshi, and he calls himself Hiroyo. He said that his dream was to be a professional volleyball player, and to play among people who could see. He already had a dream, in first grade. I could tell by the sound in his voice that he knew how hard he would have to work to achieve his dream. And again, I thought I saw an opportunity to make a new friend. I talked to him, and he listened. And soon I was walking him to class, and we would have conversations. He never left me, even when I accidentally said something rude. And we both got bullied, but we stood up for each other. We taught ourselves how to fight with the walking stick. And our friendship grew so close, that I had to tell him about how I was not really the one being rejected, but the one rejecting, even if it be by accident. But I could not explain it. I tried. I thought that I knew no one would understand. But Hiroyo said, “I understand more than I can express. I can’t explain it either, though.” And I could tell by the sincerity in his voice, that he really meant it. Hiroyo showed me that it was not my fault for accidentally being rude and not being able to explain things, and though the people who left me may be good people, they are not my friends. Hiroyo is such a good friend to me, that he understands how I feel without even seeing my face, and I don’t have to say much to him for him to understand my troubles. And over the years, we grew so close that we thought of each other as family, and whenever Hiroyo was not feeling confident, my hugs would always comfort him. And we would sit in a field together, and I would look into the sunset and he would smell the flowers. I wish that could have lasted forever. But one day, in high school, Hiroyo told me that his family was moving away. His face was stricken with the tears pouring from his beautiful eyes. He told me that I was like family to him too, and that wherever he got to be with me was truly his home. He collapsed into my arms, and I held him in a loving embrace for a very long time. Once his cold tears were dry, new, warm, stinging tears formed when he tried to talk. And he spoke through his sobs. He promised to me that he would come back to me, no matter what, and that part of what made him himself was that he never went back on his promises. Even now that he has moved to another town, he is still the person closest to me in soul. And I believe that he will keep his promise, and come back, no matter what, no matter how many years it is, and how much I’ve changed without him. And I believe, that even if you are not in first grade, that a friend will come to you, who makes a close bond with your soul, and understands how you feel without you even trying to explain it.