Monologue:
A Best Friend
Lights up. MIKAYLA sits on a chair with a laptop on her lap. The 19-years-old college
student is typing a story on her blog, willing to share her latest masterpiece
with her friends on Facebook. Her dark black hair drapes over her shoulders and
her Chinese countenance stands out. She is wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a
neon jacket that covers her T-shirt, and a pair of brown leather boots.
I miss my home, Malaysia. I really do. It has been
less than two years since I moved here in
Canada and I still feel homesick. I haven’t chat with
my best friend in weeks. Speaking of my
best friend, she’s the person who influence me and
change my life. Without her, I wouldn’t be
here today.
MIKAYLA
puts down her laptop on the floor and stands up.
It all started when I was in ninth grade back home.
People described me as an antisocial girl. I
was always a quiet, shy girl who afraid to speak in
front of other people, including strangers. I
tried really hard to fit in a normal conversation,
but somehow my invisible shield of fear pulled
me back. And due to my silent self, I was bullied by
mean boys and girls in the secondary
school. Actually, I was verbally abused from
elementary school until ninth grade, so I had
experienced traumatizing days that haunted me for
years. The discouragement given by
classmates and some teachers made me nearly give up
on my dreams and plan to commit suicide.
But one day, this girl opened my eyes to a whole new
world.
The girl’s name is Alex. She is a tomboy, yet she
has a mature taste in fashion. That day, she
offered me an invitation to a seminar. I decided to
go. She even saved a seat for me during the
seminar. To me, seminars are boring. The speakers
would just go on and on about some sort of
uninteresting topics. So, in order to decrease my
boredom, I brought a notebook along to write a
story. Alex was attracted by what I was doing and
took a peek at my story. I then let her read the
rest of it, and to my surprise, she loved it. She even looked forward to the rest of my
stories! So
every morning, she borrowed a story from me to read.
Days turned to weeks, and she allowed me
to sit with her in every class. She understood my
weakness in socializing verbally, so she tried
her best to encourage me to speak. I was a
tongue-tied person, so she advised me to speak slower
so that people can hear me clearly and understand
what I was saying. She also introduced me to a
bunch of new friends. Thanks to her, I was no longer
alone. I was happy to be in a group of
wonderful friends who treated me good and supported
me for who I was. And you know what?
When I was with Alex and the gang, the bullied days
were gone! Those heartless meanies didn’t
dare to come near me! Maybe it was because they
thought that Alex was an athletic girl who
would punch them in the face with her bare fists and
strong muscles.
In the next 2 years of secondary school, our
friendship grew closer. Alex and I had sleepovers in
each other’s houses, and we had fun hanging out in
shopping malls with the rest of our friends.
However, our friendship might not be as close as
this forever. It was the end of senior year, and I
faced a dilemma that would change everything. I planned
to come here in Canada for further
studies, but Alex begged me to stay in Malaysia and
accompany her to study in a local college.
Study overseas is a big opportunity any student
could dream of, and it also widens a person’s
knowledge to prepare for a career. But leaving my
home is like leaving a big piece of me. I
will leave my best friend alone and we will no
longer be together. I prayed to God many times to
show me the path I should take. In the end, I
realized that I shouldn’t force myself to follow
other people’s wishes. Instead, I should follow my
heart to go to the place I suppose to be in it. I
may be separated from Alex, but I have high hopes
that we will see each other again. It was hard
to contain the thought of leaving her, but I knew
that I had to stay strong and get ready for the
next chapter of my life.
MIKAYLA
blinks, preventing tears from coming out. She sheds one tear on her right cheek
with her finger.
Before my flight to Vancouver, we had one last
sleepover at my place. I had a final series of fun
with her that very night, and I also had a farewell
hangout with the rest of the gang. The most
unforgettable moment in my entire life was the last
time I saw Alex. I watched with misery as
Alex placed her bags in the trunk of her car. When
she was done, she walked to me with her
arms open to give me a hug. It was more like a
teddy-bear-crushing hug. I couldn’t hold my
sadness much longer, so I cried. Alex hugged me
tighter and whispered her last words that I’ll
never forget till now. She doesn’t want to see me cry. She only wants
to see me smile. She
promises me that she will keep in touch with me and
our friendship will never end. But most of
all, she supports my dream in studying here. That
moment seemed like forever.
We’ve been friends for 6 years now, and I miss her. We still connect through Facebook,
Whataspp, and Skype, but the number of times we talk
to each other seems to lower down.
Leaving Alex is like leaving my home country, and
this makes me losing a big part of myself.
But thanks to the greatest friend in the world, I’ve
learnt confidence and strength to face
anything. I may still be the silent, lonely girl
today, but I’ll take courage to open my mouth. She
is my inspiration and my role model. She will always
be my best friend and nothing can break
the everlasting bond of friendship between us.
MIKAYLA
sits back on the chair and continues her work on her laptop. Lights dim slowly.
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