I remember during my middle school years, which was 8 years ago, I had my first and only best friend, and he was a great friend, but he moved away and the thought still shakes my mind. However I'm getting ahead of myself, because I need to stress the point in my story.

On one day 1997, I as a kid was playing video games in my room when the door bell rang, now I did,t really care who it was but was curious, so I went to see who it was. It was our neighbor Shanghai, who was a friend to my mother, she said that her husband Rob, and herself were moving away and the Household was sold to a particular family that would be there in early January. This family who I knew nothing was about to be a huge part of my life that still affects me in the here in now.

In mid January 1998, I had seen the moving van and men working putting stuff in the house for over a month and for over 1 week the family settling in. I didn't really notice the family, until my parents intervened and suggest one of the children to come over. His name was Matthew(the oldest) and he was my age but we didn't get along very well for some reason, and so the second son and second child out of three came the next. His name was Jacob and he was 2 years younger than I, but we got along very well on the first day. Little did I know, that Jacob would become the best friend that I have ever had, or so I thought.

The Family that had moved and became our neighbors last name is the Nowikki's, and they were Baptist. The father, Bob, is a deaf interpreter for the church and had moved 3 times with his family all across America. The mother was a stay at home type of woman who was as nice and charming as a mother should be(like the movies), and she would do loads of gardening around the house, and make it look beautiful. The eldest son(Mathew) was attending a private church scholl and typically was the geek like church boy every one liked. The Youngest child, Emily, was a little girl that was kinda like a annoying pest to Jacob, but I knew one day she would develop into a model looking girl. Jacob, the middle child, was the least loved of the family and despised moving around from place to place and being treated the worst in the family, and also he was home schooled. Jacob had a great imagination like mine and we would often have a fantasy adventure slaying dragons and embarking on quest to another land. It was great, and also good, but as all friendship goes we must go deeper into the rabbit's hole.

As a atheist today, I have often wondered how scary some situations were that I at the time was not even aware of due to my massive naivety. As I said before the Nowikki's were Baptist, and there was a strong link between them and the church, and that means every day 2 times a day they would visit the church for prayer. As a friend and as an naive agnostic atheist, I didn't know about church that well and thought it was just some place most people go to see god. So naturally when I was invited and went with them to the church and gatherings, I ran into a lot of things I didn't quite understand. Jacob after a few visits to the church on my part started asking me certain thing such as "do you believe in god?" and "how do you perceive what the priest said?" which my answers were either "I don't know" or "I'm clueless as to what he said" and we also started watching Veggie Tales and listening to bible stories and what not. After many a week I became doubting my beliefs, being brain washed and all that and finally after becoming best friends an certain event shook the foundations of our friend ship and messed me up in the head.

It was 2002, October 31st: Halloween. On that day I was a vampire, and like any other Halloween I was excited, and I wanted to get the most candy out of all the children in our neighborhood. So excited, that I wanted to show my best friend in the whole wide world and I went to the Nowwiki's yard and showed my best friend my awesome costume and told him about Halloween and what he was going to wear. Back in the here and now I can say my mind simply can't remember what he said or did but my psychiatrist told me it was a black out that I didn't really want to remember, and has recover somethings that might have happened but one phrase sticks out the quote "GO TO HELL". My dad says that I came running to the house that night and emotionally told him everything and then cried myself to sleep. I have many other of these black outs around that time, but I'm unsure of myself. In any case my dad told me he then went to the Nowikki's front door and spoke to the parent's that he doesn't want them putting their beliefs on any of my family and our broke off for a month or two, but I was told that I went to play with Jacob the next day with no memory of what happen the day before.

To this day I have often thought about it and it made me a anti christian to this day. However I never forget those time we had together, for even after that day he and I weren't the greatest of friends, but best friends nevertheless. After the event I'd noticed Jacob had tears in his eyes and now I thought every time we saw each other he felt sad and guilty, but I don't know everything Locked in that door of time. There are many points in this story that even I don't know much about myself, but one things for sure is, that its 1 thing that I'll never Religion for in my life. Today even after I was told about that day I still would have done it all over again just to be with Jacob again. For it was a great time.

Sounds like a valuable friendship Aiur, I'm sorry to hear it ended up the way it did.

Is this a story or yours that you made up Alur? Or is it a true story that you made up? I think it's prettty decent writing and it's interesting.

Good work.

It all comes from my memory.

I find this shared account to shed some light on how one can still find friendship in situations where simple assumptions and beliefs, words, threaten to tear a part people. I wish the best of luck to you in tackling your personal problems, and I admire the strength you have to face them and actually work with them. That appears to be more than most will do with themselves.

You two were not friends because of any beliefs or faith, so that area of each others lives should not effect you two. Perhaps make contact with him again if you aren't currently? It was his father who insulted you, was it not, and not your friend?

JWG wrote:I find this shared account to shed some light on how one can still find friendship in situations where simple assumptions and beliefs, words, threaten to tear a part people. I wish the best of luck to you in tackling your personal problems, and I admire the strength you have to face them and actually work with them. That appears to be more than most will do with themselves.

You two were not friends because of any beliefs or faith, so that area of each others lives should not effect you two. Perhaps make contact with him again if you aren't currently? It was his father who insulted you, was it not, and not your friend?

it was my friend.

Thank you for sharing your story Aiur.