To Lola

I have a best friend.

Her name is Lola. She's been with me for a few years and I can't imagine my life without her.

I told her once that, if it wasn't for her, my world would be a gray place and way too quiet. She brings life and color to me, in a way that only a true friend can.

Lola is red-headed. She was blue eyes and very, very thin body. Her smile could light up a whole city and her laughter makes anyone fall in love with her. She loves bracelets, dream-catchers, earrings, shoes, books, music, gossip and staying in bed, groaning that it's not time to wake up yet.

She is the biggest part of my life.

I talk about her all the time, even to people who never knew her. I go  "Lola likes that" or "Lola hates when someone says that", and I don't even notice.

We had a few misunderstandings and fights along the way, as well as a couple of poison words we spilled at each other faces, but that doesn't mean Lola and I don't love each other. In fact, I love her more than I ever loved anyone else.

I believe in true love and I believe in love at first sight, but I also believe that there are several different kinds of love, not only romantic love, but the one we feel for our friends, for our family and for our best-friends, who are a little bit of both.

I think I can say I loved Lola from the very beginning. We were nine and we had but one friend in common. We started to talk and play together until she was moved to my group at school. Then, we were inseparable.

Right now, she lives in another state. Many years have gone by and although I haven't seen her for about two months, our friendship remains the same. She still is the part of me that doesn't live inside me. It's like we complete each other in a way that we didn't even know we needed.

Lola is the one person to whom I tell everything. She knows all my secrets, all my stories, all my mistakes and all my kisses too. I tell her because she listens to me. And I listen to her too. She tells me about her problems, about her thoughts, her jokes and her adventures. She talks and talks, and I listen, because that's the only thing I can do for her. I think she loves those moments as much as I do.

Also, Lola is the person I can be quiet with. Once, we even stayed up late reading books, each one of us with our own, in complete silence. We didn't speak until she said she was tired and we went to sleep. I didn't feel uncomfortable, because I was with my best friend. What could be wrong about being silent with my best friend?

Sometimes people think we are nothing like each other, and sometimes that we are soul-mates, but the fact is that Lola and I have nothing in common and in life but this friendship.

I dedicate all my stories to her, even though I don't actually write this dedication down, so I thought I might do so today, as it is her birthday.

I know she's not going to read it until I force her to, but I wanted to make it official that Lola is my inspiration, my goal and my one specific reader.

I love you, Lola. Happy birthday.