Carlin

Natalie Upton

Lit. and Comp 

Per. 6

December 15, 2010

Carlin

Nine years ago, I had no idea I would meet such a significant and lifelong friend. Her faint freckles from the summer sun and childlike smile only began to describe her cheerful ambiance. Seeing each other at Sunday school every week made our friendship only progress. As our conversations became more frequent, as did our punishments for talking during lessons. 

“Everyone knows the story of Ruth in the bible correct?” asked Mrs. Burke, our Sunday school teacher. 

“I don't.” Carlin responded shyly. At that age, most children would have acted conceited because they knew what is was and Carlin did not. I felt that it was unfair to be made fun of partly because I lacked knowledge on the subject myself, and therefore decided to voice my opinion as well. Carlin's feelings of embarrassment diminished after others admitted that they did not know either. 

I have come to realize that Carlin and I have put enough trust in each other's opinions that it is unnecessary to feel embarrassment when one of us is not educated on something. I sometimes envy her ability to admit she does not understand something. Many times, I would try to avoid the subject or pretend I knew what something meant. More often than not, this merely resulted in further embarrassment. Carlin is very accepting of the way she is and from her, I have learned how to be more secure in the way that I handle these situations. I have also become more aware of how to act when someone else is uneducated in something. I admire her carefree nature, in that, her actions reflect exactly what she feels and she rarely becomes consumed in what others think.

The summer before my first year of high school, my dog, Willow began to get very sick. I continued to update Carlin on how she was doing, but things were not looking up. Throughout these worried couple of weeks, she kept an optimistic attitude and consoled me whenever I was feeling hopeless. Soon after, my parents informed me that we had to take Willow to the veterinarian for the last time. As I stood in the office, the florescent lights blinded even my shut eyes. I knew it was best to put her out of her pain. I held back my tears as my throat tightened and it became hard to swallow. I felt paralyzed; unable to move or speak. When my family trudged back to the car to drive home, I spoke. “I want to go to Carlin's”. Accepting my murmured request, my dad drove me to her house. 

I knocked lightly on the front door. Within seconds, Carlin appeared in the doorway and immediately knew what had happened. I could only compose myself long enough to be lead to her room. We crawled under a blanket and she held me as I cried. 

As many years as Carlin and I have been best friends, we are rarely confronted with sad issues that are difficult to handle emotionally. However, her personality is so fun-loving and idealistic that when facing issues such as these, her feelings are heartfelt and meaningful in consoling. It is not always easy to possess such humble qualities as these, but a great friend constantly works to achieve them.