Chasing old friends
For a while now I had been hunting around for very old primary school friends using sites such as friends reunited and more recently facebook. I'm still not happy with the way facebook adds applications, seems like a place in which viruses can breed uncontrolled if kept unchecked. Anyway I did find probably one of my closest friends from back at high school. Perhaps because we went to different colleges that we never kept in touch and it's getting close to 20 years since I last saw him, it was a joy to get back in touch with him again.
Perhaps the closest memory that ties me to him was a slightly tragic one and one that made me realise a lot about the people around me at the time. What happened that day was him and three other lads as a prank threw me down a hill whilst at school. I never resisted as I pretty much believed I was indestructable at the time, don't ask, I was often very confident about hiding any physical pain I feel. Flying through the air I went and land I did but I landed very badily on my neck/back. That confidence evapourated very quickly and was screaming on the grass. Perhaps the strangest thing of all, was perhaps the person I least expected to help me did, there was one kid at school I never got along with that well and probably close to be considered a nemesis at school. He actually picked me up in his arms and tried to take me to the teachers, which didn't help because my back hurt even more than it did when he moved me. That lad I looked on very differently from that day forth. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to move me from where I had landed.
Anyway the school had called my mother and she arrived just as the ambulance did to take me to hospital. The paramedics didn't really examine me or anything, and it was up to the doctors to X-Ray my spine. Mum sat very quietly watching me all the time and was relieved when I finally opened my eyes, I couldn't see her too well because of the tears. Fortunate to say I hadn't broken anything but the doctor said there was a fair bit of brusing and that I was lucky not to break my neck.
I went back to school the next day, since the pain was significant enough to stop me from wallking. A few of my school mates said I was being rather brave coming back into school the next day after the accident. Waiting outside the classroom, my friend finally came in and saw me asking me what I was doing at school. I didn't remember what he said because I was more focused on the words of one girl who was pointing at him saying "he is not your friend". I never regarded the incident as something that would have harmed our friendship at the time, because as far as I was concerned it wasn't never his intention to harm me. It was a silly school prank that went wrong. if anything the school and I were more responisible for allowing such an event to occur.
That same day the deputy head who had the task of disciplining my friend and the three other lads, told me that my friend had been crying in his office. I don't think deputy knew before hand the lad was my friend. But those were words I never forgot. As for my friend, well we stayed friends at school and in a way I do regret not keeping in touch through the early part of our adulthood, but that one is rectified and we're back in touch.. :)
There is a common friend of ours I want to get back in touch with, but beyond him are three people from my home town I want to get back in touch with, not entirely sure what to do because short of hiring a private detective there is no way within my means to find them. I'm sure some way will present itself.
Perhaps the closest memory that ties me to him was a slightly tragic one and one that made me realise a lot about the people around me at the time. What happened that day was him and three other lads as a prank threw me down a hill whilst at school. I never resisted as I pretty much believed I was indestructable at the time, don't ask, I was often very confident about hiding any physical pain I feel. Flying through the air I went and land I did but I landed very badily on my neck/back. That confidence evapourated very quickly and was screaming on the grass. Perhaps the strangest thing of all, was perhaps the person I least expected to help me did, there was one kid at school I never got along with that well and probably close to be considered a nemesis at school. He actually picked me up in his arms and tried to take me to the teachers, which didn't help because my back hurt even more than it did when he moved me. That lad I looked on very differently from that day forth. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to move me from where I had landed.
Anyway the school had called my mother and she arrived just as the ambulance did to take me to hospital. The paramedics didn't really examine me or anything, and it was up to the doctors to X-Ray my spine. Mum sat very quietly watching me all the time and was relieved when I finally opened my eyes, I couldn't see her too well because of the tears. Fortunate to say I hadn't broken anything but the doctor said there was a fair bit of brusing and that I was lucky not to break my neck.
I went back to school the next day, since the pain was significant enough to stop me from wallking. A few of my school mates said I was being rather brave coming back into school the next day after the accident. Waiting outside the classroom, my friend finally came in and saw me asking me what I was doing at school. I didn't remember what he said because I was more focused on the words of one girl who was pointing at him saying "he is not your friend". I never regarded the incident as something that would have harmed our friendship at the time, because as far as I was concerned it wasn't never his intention to harm me. It was a silly school prank that went wrong. if anything the school and I were more responisible for allowing such an event to occur.
That same day the deputy head who had the task of disciplining my friend and the three other lads, told me that my friend had been crying in his office. I don't think deputy knew before hand the lad was my friend. But those were words I never forgot. As for my friend, well we stayed friends at school and in a way I do regret not keeping in touch through the early part of our adulthood, but that one is rectified and we're back in touch.. :)
There is a common friend of ours I want to get back in touch with, but beyond him are three people from my home town I want to get back in touch with, not entirely sure what to do because short of hiring a private detective there is no way within my means to find them. I'm sure some way will present itself.