My Friend Reuben (Completed)

My Friend Reuben Epilogue (Part One)

Epilogue. Part One.

[ This is Part one of the epilogue. I reckon it's too long to be put into just one part, so I split it up. Also, at the end, you, must. Read. On. To. The. Next. Part. Because the next part is really emotional. ]

He was tall. His brown curly hair swept across his face like a little child's. He had deep, deep brown eyes you could drown in, highly soulful and wide, like a reindeer's caught in the light. He was not discriminative, he was tranquil even in the most stressful moments. How could someone so gentle and accepting of everyone not be a role model for everyone else? He did not fall for fake personalities, he saw through the bad a paid attention to the realness. Everyone saw him as a well-natured boy with a sweet disposition.

Twelve years ago, I had met this boy, and it was more than my usual luck to have. Yes, there were times when we did not agree, although it were as if every time we fought, he was fighting with himself. He respected other people, as well as himself.

Our friendship had not deteriorated even the slightest bit as time wore on, we had continued out gatherings despite university, jobs, travelling and other occurrences. An example of a real friendship would be ours.

I moved out of my parents' suburban house, into a one bedroom apartment two blocks away from the city's business district, funded by my career and my parents' well-wished money. I completed my English course in university, and chose the path to journalism. I got paid in the average area, although I was happy with my job and the small news company that hired me told me I could work my way up to international journalism, which was a dream of mine.

I lived on my own and I enjoyed my independence. I could do whatever I pleased, but at the old age of twenty-eight I now know the meaning of responsibility and consequence. I took responsibility over myself and my property. Long gone were the days when I got home from school and sat in my room, reading new books and waiting for my mother to call out the special word, 'Dinner!' Food was expensive, petrol was expensive, electricity, phone bills, insurance, health, tax, and transportation overruled my wages and way of living. Clothes, gifts, snacks, other ridiculous splurges of mine and BOOKS were all limited into a minute level, calling out, 'Angie! Angie! Fifteen percent off! Buy one get one free!'

I had brought my collection of novels with my in my apartment just to remind me of those glorious days of hours and hours of reading.

Some weekends I would bring a couple of friends over and we'd sit at my balcony, sipping on the best wine we could buy and smoking our cigarettes, talking about nothingness, enjoying the company. I enjoyed the subtle life.

One day in the middle of winter, I got a knock at the front door of my apartment on the nineteenth floor while I was emailing my boss about something I would not have remembered again. now being cautious about who would approach the random number of 56/208 Smith street on this fine Wednesday afternoon, I looked through the peephole and saw an eye, covering my whole view. I opened the door after I recognized those brown eyes.

'Reuben! You scared the shit out of me!' I said.

'Angelaaaa!' He shouted, and closed the door behind him.

'What's the big happenings?'

Like an overactive child he nodded on the spot, his eyes were wider than normal, his smile showed all of his teeth, and arms pushing down on my shoulders as if he could rub some excitement onto me.

'I asked her... I asked her to marry me, HA! And she said YES!' He laughed, now showing his full excitement. If I had not seem him at his happiest, I had now.

'Reuben! I'm so proud! I'm so... happy for you...' I jumped onto his chest and gave him a bear hug. Gone was the awkwardness on his body, he learnt about the gym and how the gym could help build muscles. his chest was firm, and his face was defined. He was more cute than handsome, cute in a way that's not odd for a twenty-eight year old man. I screamed in joy. 'What did she say?'