Where Friendships Begin by Irish Deloso

Do you have friends? You know 

      Friendship is a feeling of love and affection that one person has for another. This feeling must be mutual, or else true friendship cannot exist. Friendship doesn’t grow where people don’t share similar tastes, feelings, or sentiments.

      I have this one childhood friend who, even to this day, remains a part of my life. We’ve managed to stay in the same circle of friends, supporting each other through the highs and lows we’ve faced. We’ve been through so many challenges together, surviving even when life felt difficult. Honestly, I can’t even pinpoint how our friendship began—it just happened. Maybe it’s because we have the same sense of humor and can easily understand each other. One thing I know for sure is that friendship wouldn’t be complete without going through trials together.

      Back then, gadgets weren’t a part of our lives, so we played games like pusa-itlog, patintero, tumbang-lata, the slipper game, and so many more. We didn’t need anything fancy just energy, imagination, and a sense of adventure. Sometimes, we’d head to the sapa (creek) near our neighborhood. We’d spend hours there, trying to catch whatever we could find. We were so caught up in our games that we often forgot to be careful, and I can’t count how many times we ended up falling into the creek or the muddy water because of our clumsiness. Even when our parents scolded us for coming home dirty, we didn’t mind—it was all part of the fun.

      As life goes on, we may end up going our separate ways in the future, but I know I’ll never forget that one friend of mine. The memories of those days are something I’ll always cherish because they remind me of the simple joy of childhood and the strength of true friendship.