In primary school, I had a best friend, Tom. Playmates and classmates, we went to and from school together. Like finger and thumb, you wouldn’t have seen one without the other. We were each other’s shadow.

One day, I saw his father and his mother quarrelling and fighting bitterly. Soon after that, his parents got divorced. Witnessing my friend’s gloom, I gave Tom some candy to lift his spirits. The small treat made him feel a bit better.

Having finished primary school in the city, Tom had to go to a small town with his mother, where he attended middle school. Every summer and winter vacation, he came back to play with me. In the blink of an eye, three years passed. It turned out that Tom liked his father better, so he left his mother behind in the small town so that he could be cared for by his dad in the city.

Then high school started. We did not get in touch again, until one day I found Tom online on QQ. I greeted him on the IM. Our chat started off. I learned that he was attending a technical school in Hongwei. That was great because my gran resides there.

One weekend I visited my gran. I messaged Tom and invited him over. When he came in, I realised my buddy had changed a lot. Long hair over shoulders, he was much taller than me.

Seated on the balcony, we caught up on each other’s life. Tom is learning computer skills at the school. His father’s wages are meagre, so my friend spends sparingly. He often takes part-time jobs to earn his tuition. Seldom does he ask his father for more than his allowance. To my amazement, Tom is able to make some money on his phone. We chatted for a very long time, until the sun set.

With Gran’s dinner ready, we went over and had a meal together. Dinner over, I had to bid Tom farewell. I did not know when I would be able to see my friend again.

The meeting with Tom compelled me to reflect upon my own existence. In some ways, he has fared much better than me, even though, carefree, I do not have to worry about financial problems and I live in a loving family.

Tom is as much a teacher as he is a friend.