An Old Friend

It sat there for a long time. No one seemed to remember it. It felt as if it was ignored and forgotten. It doesn't feel good when you have given your best years and no one seems to remembers you. It was all covered with creepers and dirt accumulated for years. It felt really unwanted... wasted... neglected...

Then she appeared.... She walked slowly as her knees are not what they used to be. She walked towards the bench and as she stood before it, her face broke into a kindly smile. "It's you!" she exclaimed. "I finally came back to see you!" she said as she tried to clear away some of the creepers that have covered the space which was meant for sitting. She sighed contentedly as she sat down on the old bench.

"Do you remember me?" asked the old lady. The bench creaked with delight as it remembered the good old days when she used to come and sit to wait for her dearest friend. "Yes, you were with him, you were most happy!" said the bench. It was a meeting of souls when she first met him. "He was a strange one, wasn't he?" she remembered him with great fondness. "We used to leave notes for each other on the underside of your seat." she recalled as tears rolled down her cheeks. Both sat in silence for a while after that remark. It was as if time stood still for the two old friends and images from the past flooded their minds.

She smiled as she started to pull out the creepers that was all over the back of the bench. "I want to do this for you, my dear old friend." the old lady said with such determination. "I will come back tomorrow with more help." In saying this, she stood up slowly and waved goodbye to the bench who seemed to sparkle after having this chat.

"She remembers me!" the bench thought. It felt good to have someone to care for it. It felt good to have a promise to be visited again. It felt so good to have someone to talk to. The bench couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. It knew that she would honour her promise. It gave a happy sigh as it fell into deep sleep.

The next morning, the bench woke up to some cheery voices. It saw the old lady coming with another younger lady friend carrying two buckets. One bucket was filled with garden tools and cleaning liquids and the other was filled with water. They sang happy songs as they cleared the creepers and the dirt. It was not possible to clean the bench thoroughly as there were too much dirt accumulated over time. But it was feeling much happier with a good scrub.

"There... much much cleaner! That is what I can do for you for your years of friendship!" the old lady said as she sat down to pat the old bench. "This is my sister, Una who has helped me to give you a good wash." she said as she looked towards her sister with such gratefulness.

"I don't know if I would be able to come as often as my knees can take me here but I wanted to see you again. I want to tell you that you have been a great friend. You were there in my happiest moments when I first met him, you were there when he left me to go a faraway place, you were there when I shed tears each time I miss my friend. You have always been there for me. You have been a faithful friend and I will always remember you!"

The bench felt very loved. It did not matter that it took so many years for her to come back. All that matters was she remembered the silent friend whom she confided to for so many evenings in the past.