"A WEEKEND AT MY FRIEND'S ' HOME"

When friendship is true, there is no person, distance or situation that does not allow it to survive. Two weeks ago I met my friend Argenis, by chance, in a shopping mall in the city. He was my best friend in college. I had not seen him for more than 15 years. We lost contact, inexplicably... After college, each of us went our separate ways. What a joy to meet again after so many years. So, we took the opportunity to sit down, have a cup of coffee, and catch up, a bit, on our lives. Excited, he invited me to spend the weekend on his parcel of land up in the mountains. I gave him my word that I will be there without failing.

On Saturday, I left for Argenis' place very early, since the drive could take about three hours, and I was looking forward to sharing with him and meeting his family. He would be waiting for me at the agreed-upon place to guide me to his house. On the way, it seemed to me that time wasn’t passing by. When I arrived at his house, I was overcome by an atmosphere of brotherly love, his wife and children seemed to me very special in their treatment of me, it seemed as if they had known me for a long time. I never felt like a stranger, rather, I felt like I was part of the family.

The welcome lunch prepared by his wife was spectacular, for starters they served a delicious soup that could raise a dead man, then, for the second course, they had a pasticcio with lots of sauce and cheese, it had an incomparable flavor ––spectacular!––, and for the final course; a delicious dessert worthy of the gods ––cheesecake––. The evening was cozy. The children; Raul (12) and Laura (8), treated me like an uncle and kept in conversation with me. They invited me to spend Sunday at the river, which I was very excited about, since it had been many years since I had bathed in a river.

Later on, Argenis and I took a little walk around by the surroundings, remembering the old times with our university classmates. We laughed a lot of sharing anecdotes from our college lives. We also shared about our relatives' lives, since at that time, one's family was also the other's family. Early Sunday morning, after a delicious breakfast, we got ready for the trip to the river. We brought what we needed to make a barbecue, the previous day dessert rests and lots of snacks, and, also, a cellar with beers, soft drinks and drinking water. What a beautiful and cozy day. We all swam, splashed and played in the river. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, we set up the fire for the barbecue, which was accompanied by yucca and salad. The afternoon ended with a lot of tiredness, but with a heart full of happiness and joy for this great day.

This day was magical, the place and the company brought back many memories of my childhood. The river, with its magic and charm, reaffirmed my love for my family and the charms of the home where I grew up, since my parents' house was near a river, where we used to go on holidays or weekends. Thanks to my friend Argenis for that pleasant and charming weekend at his house, but above all, thanks for inviting me to be part of his life again. With this reunion, we reaffirmed our old friendship, and I can say that at Argenis’ home I got a new sister-in-law and a couple of nephews. —I hope not to lose his tracks again. The next morning, I left for my home in the capital very early to resume my obligations, full of peace and free of stress, with the certainty that our friendship is still the same as always, despite the time and distance. —Fate made us pick up our brotherhood where we left off the last time we saw each other. Now we can talk every day and take advantage of social networks and phone calls to feel more connected.