In This Heart: 1934

Chapter 1: The Fresh Smell of Summer

March 12, 1934

Dear Diary,

I don't know what made me want to write this up, but I guess I wanted to remember this day. I want to preserve this moment where my heart felt so happy for the first time again after a long time. I saw Antonio across the café a while ago. It's been ten long years since I last saw him. I felt like I was floating on cloud nine that I could not move and come near him to say hello. I just stood away from, stared at him with disbelief. All these years, I wonder how he was.

He had always been my only friend back in grade school. I was the target of ridicule back then because I was unattractive and soft, and Antonio was the only friend who joined me at the table in the cafeteria. Back then, I didn't care about not having a lot of friends. He was enough. He was the only friend I had back then.

There were times when he stood up for me when all of my guy classmates made me stumble while walking. He was there, willing to punch a fist for a fight. He cried, but he was so brave and that the teacher believed him. The bullies were punished, and they kept their distance away from us. I was too young, but I remember that moment. They're too precious to be forgotten. Too precious to be disregarded. That's why I had always been thankful to Anton, as I called him, because he was my safety net back then. He painted my grade school years with such bright colors.

I didn't have enough storage to recall the unpleasant days because I only stored the ones I spent with Anton. Our parents became friends, and I even went into their house to watch movies during the weekends. During his birthday, I would make him colorful birthday cards and would pick daisies from Mom's garden so I could insert them in the envelope. He would invite me to stay for dinner, and his Mom would pack a portion of food to bring to my parents.

I was so blessed to have him around me while I was still young and innocent. He was so vocal and adventurous. His father made us a treehouse in their front yard, where we started to fill them with our things and turned them into our playpen.

It's pretty nostalgic to think about it now. Somehow, I was heartbroken when I went to school and found out about him leaving the town, and I never even got a chance to say goodbye. I never found a friend as gentle and kind as him.

I was so sad to know that my best friend for six years flew out of the country, and I got nothing else left to do but to say goodbye in silence. Dearest Diary, I hope the next time I write a letter, I desire to send it to him. Please, wish me luck.

Joyful,

Juanita