Friends

One day, they asked me.
What is a friend? Who is your friend?

I don't know.
I really don't know.

Maybe I don't have any friends.
Maybe everyone is my friend.
Does it really matter?

You stop. And you think.
Voices in your head.

I once heard - Friends are replaceable.
I froze. Shaken.
I wondered - Which is my number?

I then asked - How many true friends do you have?
Bad question.
Rhetorical questions are dangerous.

I once heard - If I were rich, do you think I would spend my time with you?
I froze. Shaken.
I wondered - Why am I spending time with you?

I then asked - How many true friends do you have?
Very bad question.
One day I'll learn.

I once heard a story. The story of their life.
The ups. The downs.
The good times. The bad. The weird.

And I understood.

I understood what I had heard.
I understood why I heard it.
And realized I had made a friend.