The Shell of Time

Friendship is built upon many things: liking the same things, dreaming for the same things, helping each other in need, and even arguing over who will wear the red high heels that day.  Not everyone is blessed with a friendship so deep that it can overcome anything thrown at them, no matter how young they were or how old they would become. 

Two small girls discovered their friendship at a very young age. They were a mere three-years-old when they started playing together on what was then a quiet neighborhood on Madison Avenue.  At first, the play times started as an hour here and there until they were old enough to play on their own with supervision by one of the girls’ mothers or the older siblings.  When that time arrived, the girls developed a strong bond built upon playing Barbie dolls on the front porch or playing house in the “little house”. 

One summer day, the girls decided to take a walk to the corner (it was about as far as they could go alone).  As they sat on the concrete of that corner dreaming about what they might become when they grew up, they spotted a rock that looked like a shell.  That shell would become a milestone that the two young girls would remember for the rest of their lives.

Finding the shell became a game for the two girls.  Out of the blue, one of the girls would say “let’s go find our shell” and off they would go to the corner.  It didn’t matter how long it took to find their shell; they would sit on that corner until one of them did.  The shell was hidden among the other rocks embedded in the concrete and sometimes it took the girls what seemed like hours to find their shell.  It didn’t matter to them; they had to find their shell!

The years passed and the girls grew up, but even as young teens they would take off to find their shell.  The search for the shell was not only a game where the two girls could compete; it was a time to share their inner most thoughts with each other.  As with any neighborhood, improvements had to be made. One day, the girls discovered that the corner block of concrete where their shell lived for so many years was being destroyed.  It was a sad day for the two girls who were now “too old” to find their shell but the memories on that corner have lived on in both of their lives. 

The two girls are now grown women and have shared their story about their shell and it is always done with a smile on their faces. The shell will linger in the girls’ hearts forever. It’s not about the shell; it’s about true friendship.