Old Friends

石海鵬

They finish your sentences， they remember the cat that ran away when you were twelve， and they tell you the truth when you’ve had a bad haircut. But mostly， they are always there for you—whether it’s in person or via late night phone calls—through good times and bad. But as the years pass， it becomes increasingly difficult to see each other， to make new memories. Fortunately， my high school girlfriends and I vowed long ago not to let this happen. We vowed to have reunions.

A few months ago， we met up for a three-day weekend in the American Southwest. We grew up together in Maine and have said for years that we should have an annual event， yet it’s often postponed or canceled due to schedule conflicts. Not this year.

Four of us—two from San Francisco， one from Boston， and one from Seattle—boarded planes bound for Santa Fe， New Mexico， where one of the ganglives and works for an art gallery. Two years ago， she moved there—scaped， rather—from the film industry in New York City， where she led a life that felt too fast， too unfulfilling. The artist in her longed for vibrant landscapes and starry moonlit skies. She wanted to drive a truck on dusty roads， a trusty dog at her side， riding shotgun. She got all that and found love， too. She is happy.

The rest of us—still big city folks—converged on her like a cyclone straight out of the pages of a girlfriend novel. Chattering and memory swapping， we were fif-teen again in a space of five minutes. Naturally， we relived some of the stories of our youth—angst and all—but we also brought much more to the gathering this time. We were new people. We were wives and girlfriends to someone back home. We were businesswomen， artists and writers. We were no longer girls， no longer post-college grads. We were women.

I shared an air mattress that night with my friend from Boston， the one who calls me， while rubbernecking in traffic， to catch up on her cell phone， to tell me of her life and love. On the next mattress was a gal from San Francisco， newly single and enjoying her independence. Our host， the artist， shared her bedroom that weekend with a married dotcommer from San Francisco. Yes， we are different， but we are also the same. The years of our youth say so.

The apartment was open and we talked late into the night， our voices carrying back and forth between the rooms as we laughed， cackling about things that would only be humorous to friends with this kind of history. The next morning， I awoke to a brilliant blue sky， beautifully contrasted by the earthy brown of the surrounding adobe. It was Saturday and the art enthusiasts were out， so， with coffee in hand， I dropped off our host at work. I returned to find the others still deep in slumber， deep lines on their faces evidence of a restful sleep.

We checked out town and headed to the airport to pick up the last straggler， who came in from San Francisco for one night.“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything，”she said， despite her 4 a.m. trip to the airport. That night we celebrated over margaritas and Southwestern fare， each of us gazing at the faces around the table as we wondered， who would have thought the bonds of childhood could last this long？ Some of us have been friends since the age of five， some since age twelve and， yet， here we are approaching the age of thirty. Quite rapidly， I might add.

The weekend consisted of long talks by the pool， wonderful meals， and a hike that brought the entire group to tears. Not tears of sadness or anger， but an outpouring of emotion over the sheer wonderment that we can be this close- twelve years after graduation—with such physical distance between us. It’s heartbreaking that we can’t spend our days together in the same neighborhood， walking the same streets， reading the same newspaper at the same coffee shop. But that’s life. Grown-up life.

Most amazing is the group’s adaptability to one another. The months we spend apart are non-existent. No need to get reacquainted， we jump back in the saddle and it’s as comfortable as ever. Old friends—friends with an ever—present sense of support and sisterhood， friends that know each other innately—are hard to come by and yet we remain as tight today as we were， years ago， giggling in the back row of Mr. McKechnie’s 9th grade math class.

Life today， however， is no math class. Our world， spinning slightly off its axis is full of doubt， full of fear. Yet it reminds me—now， more than ever—how vital it is that we stay in close touch. We may have questions about our future， but we have true faith in our past， and though this reunion of friends has come to a close， we are already drawing up plans for the next one.

他們會(huì)接完你沒說完的句子，他們記得在你十二歲時(shí)跑掉的那只貓，如果你剪了一個(gè)很糟糕的發(fā)型，他們會(huì)跟你說實(shí)話。但主要的是，不論是在美好抑或糟糕的日子里，他們總會(huì)在你身邊——或是面對(duì)面交流，或是深夜與你通電話。但是隨著年月流逝，彼此越來越難見到對(duì)方，也越來越難制造新的回憶了。幸運(yùn)的是，很早以前，我與我的一幫高中女友們?cè)⑾率难圆蛔屵@樣的事發(fā)生。我們?cè)S諾一定要重聚。

幾個(gè)月前的一個(gè)周末，我們?cè)诿绹髂喜烤哿巳臁Ｎ覀円黄鹪诰捯蛑蓍L大，這幾年來一直都在說我們應(yīng)該有個(gè)一年一度的聚會(huì)，但通常都因?yàn)槿粘逃?jì)劃沖突而延遲或取消。今年終于如愿了。

我們一行四人——兩個(gè)來自舊金山，一個(gè)來自波士頓，還有一個(gè)來自西雅圖——登上了飛往新墨西哥州圣菲的航班。我們這幫人中有一個(gè)住在圣菲，為那里的一家畫廊工作。兩年前，她搬到那里——更準(zhǔn)確地說是從紐約的電影業(yè)中——逃離出來。她當(dāng)時(shí)覺得在紐約生活節(jié)奏太快，太沒有成就感。她那藝術(shù)家的本性向往生機(jī)盎然的自然景致和繁星點(diǎn)綴的月夜。她希望能在塵土飛揚(yáng)的路上開著卡車，有只忠誠的狗坐在前排的乘客座位，陪伴她左右。這一切都實(shí)現(xiàn)了，她還找到了愛情。她是幸福快樂的。

我們其余幾人——仍然是大城市居民——像是從女性小說的頁面中直接跳出來的一股旋風(fēng)似地向她襲去。我們聊天、分享回憶，仿佛在短短的五分鐘內(nèi)又重返十五歲。……