Linda

A Story by Molly

It's a story about the loss of a friend.

I’m not the type to go around sharing other people’s secrets, but when I heard this, I just had to share it. My friend Linda had told me that she was accepted to go on a mission with our local wildlife committee to Antarctica to go see baby penguins! I love penguins, so I was freaking out. Linda told me not to tell anybody, because she, well, I have no idea why she didn’t want me telling anybody, but I had to. “Can I tell Nibbles?” I asked. Nibbles was my hamster. “No, Megan.” Linda sternly said “You can’t tell anybody. Not even Nibbles. I want this to be a secret, so keep quiet!” I told Nibbles, and a bunch of my girlfriends on Facebook, but I made them swear that they won’t tell anybody. Well yadda, yadda, yadda, Linda went to Antarctica and came back. That’s where my troubles started. You see, my Facebook friends held a huge surprise party at Linda’s house, and they didn’t invite or tell me about it. So I guess Linda shooed off everybody at her house off, and then Linda called me. “You told people! I know you did! How else would people know!?’ Linda yelled. At the time I had no idea there was a party at Linda’s house. “What are you talking about?” I questioned, “I didn’t tell anybody! Maybe somebody on the mission told people and that’s how they knew.” Linda sighed with relief “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry.” And then our conversation was over. I couldn’t sleep that night. I was too busy thinking about what I had done. Maybe Linda called some people on the mission and yelled at them. They all would have denied it, and she was stuck with a mystery on her hands. I managed to fall asleep after some rounds of solitaire on my phone. Luckily when I woke up, it was Saturday and I didn’t have to go to work. Linda called me again “Hello?” I said cheerfully. Linda on the other hand, didn’t sound so cheerful. “Hey, Megan?” She said, coldly. “I was browsing on Facebook today and I saw an interesting conversation. You see, it was you, and a bunch of other girls, and you were talking about how I was going to Antarctica. Here’s the funny part, where you make them swear not to tell anybody, and after you log off, I see the girls planning a party at my house. Does this ring a bell?” I was dead. I didn’t know what to do. I hung up. After that, I blocked Linda from me on every website I had an account on. Sometimes I would get notices saying that Linda has been trying to contact me. I ignored it all, and man, I felt so bad. I knew that just shutting everything out would just make things worse. It went on like that for about a month, and everyday I felt worse. I barfed a lot. I missed work a lot. I lost Linda as a friend. I could have made it better but I didn’t. I just shut her out of my life and there was nothing I could do about it. I started a journal and I would write down ways I could make myself feel better, but Linda was my best friend, and I lost her. I would sometimes pick a day where I would just pull up my skirt and go apologize to Linda, but every time I would chicken out. I was too afraid of what she would say to me. I knew I had to go do it or else I would never feel happy again. I had to go because Linda would never walk up to my door and say she forgives me for all I did to her. I was afraid she wouldn’t want to be my friend again, and I knew if I kept putting it off then for sure she wouldn’t want to be my friend, or maybe it was already too late. It went on and on until one day when I decided enough was enough. I went to Megan's house. By then it was winter and I had to drive to her house. I'm sure Megan was freaked out by a car that just randomly pulls up by her house. I got out of my car, and walked up to the door. It was a nice wooden door that was painted purple. I stopped to look at the door and ponder upon it. I snapped out of it and realized I had to do it. I knocked on the door. Nobody was there. I knocked again. Still nobody. I knocked a third time. Still nobody. I raised my hand to knock a fourth time, but then suddenly an old man opened the door. “Hello.” The man said in a depressed voice. “Uh, hi.” I stuttered. “Is Linda home?” I had no idea who the man was or why he was at Linda’s house. I didn’t think I had seen the man before. I finally realized it; he was Linda’s dad! I remembered meeting him. Usually he was nice and cheerful. This time he didn’t sound cheerful at all. “It’s Megan, right?” He asked me. “Yes.” I replied. “So is Megan home?” “I’m afraid not. You didn’t hear, did you?” I had no idea what he was talking about. What could I have possibly not heard about? They still wanted to tell me things, right? I guess not. Linda’s dad started to talk again. I could feel he had bad news to share. “Um Megan, Linda passed away a year ago of (I don’t want to say.). I wanted to tell you, but my wife wouldn’t allow it. I’m sorry.” He shut the door. I walked out not paying attention once to the purple door. I got into my car, and drove home.