The Importance of Friendship

(The following story comes from an anonymous source.)

“One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my school walking home. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books.

I thought, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He really must be a nerd."

I had a weekend planned with parties and a football game, so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was watched, a bunch of kids ran toward him. They knocked his books out of his arms and tripped him. He landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying and landed in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. I jogged over to him and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks!"

He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile of gratitude on his face.

I helped him pick up his books, and as it turned out, he lived near me, so we walked together. I asked him why I had never seen him before, and he explained that he had been away at private school.  

We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. He joined me and my friends for football and they liked him too.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. As we approached our senior year, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. We would always be friends, and the miles were never a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him again about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me up there giving a speech. 

On graduation day, Kyle looked great. He was stronger and more confident. He really found his stride during high school. The girls found him attractive. He had more dates than I had and sometimes I was jealous.

That day I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, you'll be great!" He looked at me and smiled that same grateful smile I had seen on the first day we met.

As Kyle prepared to speak, he cleared his throat. I remember how he began:

"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story about true friendship." 

I listened with disbelief as Kyle told the story of the day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying all his stuff home. He looked at me and gave me a little smile.

"Thankfully, I was saved because a friend cared. He saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us about his weakest moment. His parents were looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize how important it is to be a friend to someone in a moment of need." 

End