Friends

Never in my life did I think I would see my old friend Hanoi on the sandy shores of the blue beach close to my hometown during my vacation with my wife. Through the waves and the loud Spanish music I could hear a familiar voice and as I looked over I recognized the face of someone I had not seen in over twenty years, bent down playing with kids who looked just like him. It was someone I knew from my childhood! My friend Hanoi and I had played baseball together and grew up in the same village, but we lost contact when he moved to the United States. That warm day on the beach in Nagua under the tall palm trees we had a cold drink together and introduced each other to our wives. From that day on we stayed in touch and he has been such a kind and generous friend to me and my family. I learned that time and distance do not matter when someone is a true friend like Hanoi.