The Fortunate One

Allan-Michael Brown — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:09:15 +0000

Sometimes the smallest things can spark the biggest changes. And sometimes the smallest appetites can evolve in enormous cravings. Tonight I indulged in Chinese food. Ordering in is a sacred ritual among those who are too damn hungry to venture out, or cook. I decided to have 4 chicken wings, an order of chicken fingers, chicken and broccoli, chop suey, and white rice (I was really hungry). It was a good meal and very filling. However, I was craving something sweet when I was done gobbling up my mountain of chicken. Considering I ordered enough food for two, perhaps three, I was very displeased that I was sent only one fortune cookie. I was at least hoping for two. If only desert was on the menu…

Anyway, I opened my fortune cookie and broke it in half. As I chewed on one half, I slowly pulled the fortune out of the other half of the cookie. There it was, the words that sent chills down my spine, “LEARN CHINESE – to cough: 咳 (ke) 嗽 (sou).” This was highly relevant considering the so-called “Swine Flu” is spreading rampantly. Then I flipped the fortune over and it said, “Someone you care about seeks reconciliation.” When I saw this, I instantly thought of one of my best friends, or shall I say former best friend—to be honest I don’t know what we are these days. We haven’t spoken in over a month.

Many poets say that silence speaks louder than words. As cliché as it sounds, clichés are clichés because they are all true. In a month without my best friend, I cannot help but be filled with uneasy, questioning thoughts. Over and over again, I wonder: where is my friend? What is she doing? Does she miss me? When will this era of separation be over?

I live in denial, pretending that it doesn’t bother me. I consistently tell my other friends that I’m disappointed and angry with her. Every now and then, I try to think back at what made me angry or what started this enormous, never-ending, silent parade. To be quite honest, I know what made me angry and disappointed but this doesn’t matter now. What matters is to understand whether or not a long, fruitful friendship should end. Perhaps most friendships are supposed to end. It is an unfortunate reality that both my friend and myself share (and millions more like us). Some consider that when friendships go kaput, it’s a fact of life. They would argue with the cliché, “That’s just how the cookie crumbles.” My cookie is proof otherwise.

I take back what I said about all clichés being true because clichés aren’t necessarily true. They’re just predictable. Surprises are the anti-cliché, existing on the opposite axis of a philosophical circle. It’s highly predictable that a small dispute could spark construction of a wall of silence between two good friends. It happens all the time. Like I said before, sometimes the smallest things can spark the biggest changes. I am fortunate that I am able to realize this. All it took was one, small fortune cookie to make me realize this. Perhaps I will surprise my friend and myself by breaking the silence. What a fortune that would be…

Bostonian Life

The Fortunate One