My Childhood Friendship 我的童年挚友

New Year's Day has just passed and the world has completed one more journey around the sun. As I turn the pages in my diary， I remember the life I once had. When life was innocent， there was a curly haired little girl with freckles1） on her cheeks.

When I was younger， my family moved a lot. It seemed sometimes that I'd barely got to know anyone before we moved again. But that's the life of the daughter of a preacher2）. One year， when the summer approached slowly， I met my first best friend， a beautiful girl with dark skin and long brown hair. We soon discovered we had more similarities than differences and promised that we would be friends forever. Her eyes danced when she spoke and she loved the New Kids on the Block3） as much as I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles4）. We shared lipstick5）， clothes， toys， and secrets. We taught each other how to swim， how to roller skate， and how to drive our siblings crazy. She was the last person I saw when I left Ohio as a child. Summer faded away6）. Our final day together was cut short when my parents found out that we had to move a day earlier than planned. We cried and hugged each other as we said our long good-byes.

I cried the whole way from Ohio to Illinois. I don't think my parents even realized that seven-year-olds could be depressed， but I was.

It took me a few months to adjust to my new life. A new school year opened up a new world for me， but I kept missing that little girl. Fortunately， we kept in constant contact with each other by letters and phone.

Time flies， and we have grown up. She has gotten married and we've been planning a trip together. I'm a single mother now， and wondering what kind of friends my daughter will meet along life's mysterious journey. No doubt， she'll find her own wide-eyed freckle-faced kid to show her new things and teach her how to be strong.

1.freckle [ˈfrekl] n. 雀斑

2.preacher [ˈpriːtʃə（r）] n. 牧师；传教士

3.New Kids on the Block： 新街边男孩，美国的一个男子乐队组合

4.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles： 《忍者神龟》，美国一部经典动画片，讲述了四只基因突变的乌龟除暴安良的故事。

5.lipstick [ˈlɪpstɪk] n. 口红；唇膏

6.fade away： 逐渐消失