Sonia was my best friend. She was fat and watched a lot of television. We fought all the time. My mother couldn’t understand what it was we could possibly fight about all the time or why for that matter I insisted on calling her my best friend.   Sonia lived half way down the street. The street was on a hill which made her coming up to our house an effort that often put her into a sweat even on the coldest winter days. When we would have one of our eternal screaming fights in the street, I’d scream,

 

« FATSO FATSO…. TRY AND CATCH ME… »

 

Sonia had to run up the hill after me . I was as fast as she was slow, which was a darn good thing for my little bones. Often she’d stop in the middle of her run up the hill, panting and waving her fist at me.

 

« JUST WAIT TILL I CATCH YOU….I’LL SIT ON YOU, YOU SCRAWNY LITTLE BRAT! »

 

One day, I went down the hill to Sonia’s house. Her Mom came to the door and told me to come in.   By looking at her you could figure out why Sonia was the way she was and what she would probably look like later.

« Come on in Dorothy. Sonia’s in her room chewing gum. »

Chewing gum was one of her favorite activities. I walked through the cluttered house to Sonia’s room and found her lying on her bed staring at the ceiling and making big pink bubbles.

 

« Hi! What are you up to? » I asked, looking up.

« Just looking at that little spider in the corner. » she answered without turning her head, eyes glued to the ceiling, mouth chewing on a big wad of gum. Her chubby little finger pointed to where the culprit was crawling.

« It’s not going to bite you, you know? »

« Maybe not, but I’m not taking any chances. Last time I had a spider in my room I lost track of it and didn’t sleep for a whole week. »

Sonia slept with her mouth open. I knew this about her because I often slept over.

 

Sonia was really generous. Her bubble gum was my bubble gum.

 

« Wanna piece? » she offered, pulling half of what was in her mouth twirled around her middle finger and stretching it towards me.

 

I always said yes.

 

Sonia was my best friend.