The first time I laid eyes on her, I was struck dumb. There was Clara, smiling and laughing, strolling through the farmer's market like no time had passed. Seventeen years since I'd seen my childhood best friend, yet somehow she looked exactly as I remembered. Same bouncing gold curls, same sprinkle of freckles across her button nose. Stepping in, it was like I had journeyed to the past.
My mind reeled back to our shared youth. Clara and I were inseparable back then, closer than sisters. We explored the woods behind my house, made up epic tales of fantasy and adventure, pretended we were princesses and warriors. At sleepovers we'd stay up until dawn whispering secrets, feeling like we alone spoke a language only we understood.
But high school drove a wedge between us. Clara became consumed with clubs, sports, and older friends. We drifted apart until casual greetings in the hallway were our only contact. On graduation day, we hugged goodbye, vaguely promising to keep in touch. Then Clara moved across the country for college. I stayed local, got a job, and hardly thought of her anymore.
Yet here she was, magically back again, resurrected from my memories. I watched her pay for a bag of apples, grin at the farmer, turn to leave.
"Without overthinking"
I swiftly closed the distance and firmly clamped onto her arm, urgently addressing her, "Clara!"
She froze, eyes widening. Then her face lit up. "Elena? Is it really you?"
We embraced like no time had passed. The years fell away, faded and insignificant. Clara was just as I remembered - her laughter, her perfume, the glow that radiated from her smile. We babbled over each other, catching up in a rush.
Yes, she had stayed out west after college, settling in Oregon. I told her about my job at the library, my little apartment downtown, my elderly cat. We lingered by the apple stand, unaware that the sun sank low and other shoppers drifted away. The farmer started packing up his wares around us.
Clara looped her arm through mine. "Let's go somewhere and talk! I want to know everything."
We meandered out of the market and down familiar streets filled with our childhood ghosts. We pointed out the old playground, our elementary school, the corner café where we'd share milkshakes. Each building held memories we'd nearly forgotten but now recalled in vivid detail.
The years since graduation evaporated. We were young again, with whole lives ahead of us, walking these same blocks and dreaming big dreams. I gazed at Clara's profile, marveling at the youthful beauty that still shone there. How lucky I was to get this second chance to reclaim my lost friend!
We ended up on my tiny apartment patio with a bottle of wine. Clara laughed at my old tabby cat, Mozart, as he head-butted her leg, demanding attention. Twilight dimmed around us but our words flowed easily. We talked careers, relationships, travels. But we also spoke of old memories - secret pacts, school plays, crushes. Things only the other would remember.
"The fact that we're sitting here, reconnected, is truly remarkable," I said in a subdued tone. "To be completely honest, after high school ended, I never imagined our paths would intertwine once more."
Clara squeezed my hand. "I'm so sorry, Elena. I was such an idiot back then. You were the most important person in my life and I just...let you drift away."
My head shook slightly. "We were just children. Life goes that way sometimes. You shouldn't hold it against yourself." I paused for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking...what made you stay apart for so long? Not even a call or a letter?"
Clara stared at her wine glass. "It's stupid, but...I guess I was ashamed. I felt horrible about how things ended with us. The longer I stayed away, the harder it felt to reach out. I always thought maybe next summer, next Christmas, I'd come back to visit. But the timing never seemed right."
She looked up, eyes shining in the twilight. "But fate brought us back together now. Maybe I needed all this time to realize how much you meant - still mean - to me."
The genuine emotion in her voice deeply moved me. We shared another embrace, swaying gently as if seeking solace like children. "It's been far too long since this visit," I murmured against her hair. "Promise you won't be absent for another seventeen years!"
Clara gave a soggy chuckle. "Never!"
We stayed up chatting until 2am like teenagers at a sleepover. We crawled into my bed as Mozart snuggled between our pillows, just like old times. Safe in the darkness, our conversation turned even more personal.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Clara murmured. "I'm getting divorced. I signed the papers last week."
I squeezed her hand. Her marriage had seemed perfect on the surface when we'd caught up earlier.
"I'm so sorry," I said gently. "Are you doing okay?"
Clara exhaled. "Honestly...I'm relieved. I haven't felt like myself for years. Jake was a great guy, but not the right one for me. This feels like a rebirth."
I hesitated a moment. "Want to hear my secret now?"
She giggled. "Do tell..."
I took a deep breath into the darkness. "I'm gay. I've known since college but I've never said it out loud before. You're the first person I've told."
A brief hush settled between us. Without warning, Clara embraced me tightly, a gentle sound escaping me. "Your trust in sharing that with me is something I deeply value," she breathed out with a passionate intensity. "I'm truly impressed by you."
Her instant acceptance melted away the last barriers between us. The rest of my secrets came pouring out in a deluge. How lonely I'd been, how stuck in place I felt, how craving connection again had led me to the market that morning.
"In every face, I confessed to seeking your presence," I said. "Hoping that destiny had plans for our reunion."
A gentle kiss from Clara met my forehead. "Seems like you're in my company again."
Curled in the warmth of renewed sisterhood, we finally fell asleep as the first birdsong heralded the new day.
The next evening, we made dinner together in my tiny kitchen, dancing around each other in playful rhythm. Later, we walked downtown under strings of sparkling lights, chatting easily with locals who remembered us both fondly. We were kindred souls reunited, feeling uniquely understood by each other once more.
When Clara flew home two weeks later, I didn't cry. The seventeen year chasm now felt like a blink of the eye. I'd been blessed with the most precious gift - a second chance to have my oldest, dearest friend back in my life.
"Going forward, our visits will be reciprocal," Clara declared. "There's an abundance of memories that await us!"
As we hugged goodbye, I knew our lifelong bond had clicked effortlessly back into place, feeling as real and true as it did when we were girls. This friendship - this love - would only grow richer and stronger as we progressed through life, side by side.
