The bond truly is genuine, when you meet a bunch of dudes after half a decade; yet the way you greet and talk to each other are all still the same as they once were.
Years ago a lot of my friends moved to different countries for their higher studies, or for work; which then created a fair bit of distance among a few of us. We got so busy with life that we could barely manage the time to even text each other like we once used to; the regular meetups weren't even an option, thanks to the distance. The difference with our time zones was an issue as well.
Yes, we would manage some time to chat every now and then, barely once or twice a year; even those dull conversations would last about 5 minutes or so. No matter the options, whether it be texts, voice messages or video calls, these can never replace a "barrier-less" and wholesome face to face conversation.
Most of them have been away for over 5 years now, for some others it's getting close to a decade even. At first they couldn't even manage the time to get back to the country for a little visit, going 2 to 3 years straight and never getting the chance to see their families and friends. Some just straight up didn't even want to comeback, which is sad.
But since most of them are done with their studies now; they are slowly coming back to the country, at least for a short period of time, just to meetup with their family and friends. A lot of them are now settled abroad, and do try to come back for a visit during the holidays.
So, as I was going on with my day according to my usual routine, a sudden call popped up from an unknown number around 8PM. Most of the time when I get calls from an unknown number it's usually a deliveryman calling to let me know that he's on the way with a parcel, but I had no pending orders to receive, not for a while. So my second guess was that it could be a call from a random number; someone who might've mistakenly called my number, which is quite common here.
Yet, when I picked up the call, I heard a familiar style of "hello" from the other side of the phone; it was a voice I surely wasn't expecting to hear.
Lo and behold, it was these three guys plotting up a little hangout; excited to meetup with me after almost half a decade. That call surely did catch me off guard; I was working then, and had no plans to head out. And as much as I hate random plans; ditching these three guys wasn't even an option for me.
So, I told them to meet me at Arabika Coffee, and about 15 minutes later we were back on track, starting from where we left off 4 to 5 years ago.
I've known these guys for almost two decades now, going all the way back to my precious school days. They're younger than me in age and were my juniors by two batches; they have always looked up to me and my ways of tackling certain situations from back then.
From saving their a**es back in school to guiding and helping them with their first startup business; all four of us have come quite far, we've made a proper bit of progress I'd say.
ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵒᵛᵉʳᵃˡˡ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ ᵃʳᵉ ᵐʸ ᵒʷⁿ ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ᶦᵗ'ˢ ᵐᵉⁿᵗᶦᵒⁿᵉᵈ
How life and its challenges shapes us, and where the world might take us, you never know...
One of them started here and is now working for Amazon in the US. The other started with his studies in China, and now has a small business of his own; a business that focuses on importing goods from China. The other stayed back in the country and struggled for a while, but just recently he has managed to secure a job.
The one working at Amazon is even getting married soon haha. I still remember how he used to meet me back in the days, to talk about his relationship and how difficult it has been to maintain along with his studies. All I told him back then is to be patient, to work on himself and to go with the flow. Now after almost a decade, the guy is getting married to his high school sweetheart.
So I'm guessing that little plan of mine worked, eh?
How time flies...
Cheers to these long-lasting relationships and to the love we share for coffee; a duo that never fails to brings us all together. ☕️🖤
