舊時(shí)友，勿相忘

You will never have friends like those you had when you were a child. I know it sounds silly， but when you think about it， you realize it’s true. The friendships you create during childhood hold a special place in your heart forever. The memories that you shared with those special people never seem to fade away， even as the years overlap one another and you make new friends. Unfortunately， sometimes you don’t realize the impact a friend can make on you until he or she is no longer a presence in your life. This is the case with Shawn.

Shawn was my first true friend. He was the one I spent long summer afternoons with building a fort in the woods， the one who I rode bikes with in the neighborhood， and as we matured， the one I talked to about girls. Shawn was your 1）quintessential neighborhood buddy. As the years flew by， however， we changed in our ways and our long-lasting friendship was halted at a fork in the road. We each pursued new directions in our lives and failed to regain our 2）companionship.

Years went by without us saying a word to each other. Then， suddenly on a cold December morning during our freshman year of high school， I was told that Shawn’s mother had lost a battle to breast cancer. The 3）devastating news hit me like an oncoming train. I had had no idea that she was in a fight against cancer， and I lived down the street！ Memories of her making us lunch and driving us in her blue mini-van flashed across my mind 4）instantaneously. How could she now be gone？ I felt like I had just seen her yesterday.

The death of Shawn’s mom consumed my mind in the days that followed. I wasn’t sure how to react to the situation. We used to be friends， but now we weren’t. I debated whether or not to go to the funeral all the way up until the time of the service， at which point I mustered up enough courage to make appear. Perhaps this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. As I stood in line to wait my turn at the funeral home， I panicked over what to say. I mean， what do you say to a fourteenyear-old who has just lost his mother， and to make it worse， an old friend that you no longer keep in touch with？ When I made my way up to Shawn， you could tell he was surprised to see me and he asked why I bothered to come after all these years of no communication. I responded， “Because this is what friends do.”

Never forget your old friends， never. No matter how many years may pass， you will always remember the friends you once had. Keep them in your heart and in your mind. Friendships may come and go， but the love will always be there.

你永不會(huì)再結(jié)識(shí)到孩童時(shí)那樣的朋友。我知道這聽起來很可笑，但當(dāng)你細(xì)心一想，你便會(huì)明白這并非謬論。孩童時(shí)結(jié)下的友誼永遠(yuǎn)會(huì)在你心中保有一個(gè)特殊的位置。你與那些特別的人所分享的回憶就如永不褪去一般，甚至當(dāng)年月更迭，你交了新朋友，這種感受依舊不變。不幸的是，有時(shí)候，你不會(huì)意識(shí)到朋友給你所帶來的影響，直至他或她不再出現(xiàn)在你的生命之中。這便是肖恩帶給我的感受。

肖恩是我第一個(gè)真正的朋友。他是那個(gè)我在多個(gè)漫長的夏日午后一起在樹林里建堡壘的玩伴，他是那個(gè)與我在鄰里間一起騎單車的小伙伴，也是在少年期一起聊著怎樣追求女孩的那個(gè)同伴。肖恩是最典型的鄉(xiāng)鄰密友。然而，隨著年月的飛逝，我們彼此也在改變，長久的友誼在人生的分岔路上戛然而止。我們各自追尋起人生的新方向，友情不再。

多年過去，我們不再和對方說一個(gè)字。然后，在我們上高一的一個(gè)寒冷的12月早晨，我得知肖恩的媽媽在與乳腺癌的抗?fàn)幹袛∠玛噥怼＿@個(gè)毀滅性的消息如同奔馳的火車向我襲來。我并不知道她一直在與癌癥作斗爭，而我就住在街道的那頭！她為我們做午飯，載著我們在她那藍(lán)色的小貨車?yán)锏哪切┯洃浽谖业哪X海中立時(shí)一閃而過。如今她怎么就離世了呢？我感覺自己就像昨天才見過她一樣。

肖恩媽媽離世的消息在隨后的日子里一直縈繞在我心頭。我不太確定如何應(yīng)對這種情況。我們曾是朋友，如今不是了。……