Missed Connections

Though LDR is an acronym used by distant lovers, it also applies to distant friends. So, does that mean it falls apart just the same?

- Rogin Losa

In every way, my best friend defined my childhood. We met and grew up together in grade school. We traded Stick-Os and Ovalteenies during recess; we updated each other on every Powerpuff Girls episode; we were each other’s first call after class.

That all changed when his family migrated to Chicago. We didn’t hear from each other for two years.

And then, Yahoo! Messenger became a thing. We stayed in touch. He told me about his middle school life, while I asked him, “What’s middle school?” Growing up in America was a foreign concept to me. And as he grew up in America, his past here became foreign to him too. That’s when we became foreign to one another.

We both felt we were growing apart. But when I reached high school, things changed—he came back to town for visits. That’s when we realized our past wasn’t what bonded us. We tried to do everything together like before. We listened to Danger Days when it came out; we watched Jennifer’s Body in cinemas after I got baptized; we ordered cheap pizza and told secrets our new friends never heard.

So, when he decided to come out to me, I stopped him. I proceeded to list down the serious things he might want to talk about: a.) He was actually an alien from outer space or b.) He had been a lesbian all this time. Whatever the answer might have been, I told him I was already okay with it.

It turned out to be the latter. He told me he goes by the name Louis now. But there was no shock or nagging from me, just heartfelt acceptance. That’s just how our friendship went. At the end of the day—no matter what happens—we always understood.

Until 2019 became the seventh year since we had last seen each other. We had entered adulthood without one another. Everything we knew about each other was through our Facebook feeds. Just like every acquaintance in our lives.