Pseudonym

Late Night Talks

Chapter 7: Late Night Talks

Writing this late at night, I remember how I would spend the nights of my high school life. Most of them were spent doing homework. Sometimes, when I would find the time and inspiration, and I would write. More often, though, I would be doing my homework while chatting with my friends.

Leon was a very deep person, at least that was what I thought when I was fifteen. All people are deep, actually. They just don't like showing off their secret passages. Others are just really tough nuts to crack, while others only seem to be narrow-minded and shallow.

I enjoyed talking about life with Leon. He was one of those people who I could talk to about stuff like love, beliefs, faith, hope, friendship, pretty girls, writing, music…and just about everything, I guess. Our shallow topics would eventually lead to a spirited debate about what we believed in. We did not always agree, which made things even more fun. No one would really 'win' in our debates. It was simply a chance to chat like a couple of lawyers and know each other more.

I miss him.

Though my days are now filled with work and caring for my family and, once in a while, spending time with my friends, I can never fill that gap in my soul which once held the promise of a boy who would show me his writing and tell me about his latest plots and about how cynical he was about love.

"You know, I enjoy this," Leon said one night. The whole house was silent except for the sound of my voice on the telephone with my friend.

"What? Debating about life?" I asked.

"Not necessarily a debate. Just two best friends. Talking." I smiled so widely after he said that.

"I enjoy it too. But…how can you call a person your friend if you don't enjoy talking to that person, right?"

"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "you regard a person as your friend for different reasons."

"Ooh, enlightenment," I said, giggling.

"I could be a philosopher already. Haha," he said.

"'Kay," I replied. "So, any reason why your friends are your friends?"

"I don't choose them. If you'll have me then I'll be with you."

We proceeded to talk about Edgar Allan Poe, music, and some TV shows he wanted me to watch. Eventually we said good night.

He put down the phone first. He always left first.

I guess his death wasn't any different.