Your Old Friend is Here!

                It was a sunny day in Birmingham, England. Everybody was busy with their own business, while the little George was playing in his uncle’s farm. “George, I have to met Mrs Clarkson in the town square, just wait here until I come back and be ready to go home. OK?”, his mother said. “OK, Mom!”. George replied. George ran with his friend, Pete, through the farm, and suddenly Pete pushed George accidentally. George’s head hit some pebbles and bleeding. Pete ran and told George’s uncle, Mr Anderson. “Let’s bring him to the hospital!”, he told his servants. After the doctor and the team worked for some time, the doctor came out from the room. There, George’s mother, Pete, his uncle and aunt had been waiting. “How is he?”, asked her mother. “Madam, I have to tell you, he lost his memory”, the doctor replied with low voice. “Please, don’t come in first. He will be shocked. Wait until I ask you to”, he continued.

                Several minutes later, the doctor gave her permission to come in. “George, it’s me, your Mom. Don’t you remember?”, said his mother with sad voice. “Who are you?! I’m scared of stranger!”, George answered. “George?! I’m your Mom! Please George!”, said her. “Don’t be too hard with him, Rachel! He needs time for it”, Mr Anderson interrupted. “Pete! Get out of this room! Get out from my family’s business! I don’t want to see you forever again!”, George’s mother got mad. Pete was scared, he ran so fast out from the hospital with tears.

                13 years has passed, George was in high school. He had most of his memory back, but none about Pete, because his mother never let him know about it. It was his birthday when his mother gave him a precious thing for him. “George! Happy birthday, my son!”, his mother kissed him. “Thanks, Mom”. His mother continued, “Do you know? I’ve bought a guitar for you!”, as his mother gave him an acoustic guitar as a gift. “Oh, wow! This is so cool, Mom! Thank you!”, he got surprised. “Don’t forget, it’s expensive”, she said. “Really?”, he asked, and his mother replied, “Nah”. “I won’t lose this, Mom”, he promised. Every time he came home, he ran to his room and played his guitar.

                One day, when George read the newspaper, “Mom, I think I will come home late today. There is a musical festival. Can I bring my guitar too?”, he asked. “Of course, it’s time for you to find a band”, she replied enthusiastically. In the musical festival, he saw a band named The Rapids, he though The Rapids was the one. After they finished their performance, George asked them for a time. “Sorry, would you mind to have a short audition for me?”, he asked gently. “Well, actually, our group doesn’t need any manager right now”, the vocalist joked. “I want to be a guitarist, actually”, he replied with a smile. “Whatever! Show me what you got!”, the vocalist said to him. Then, he began to play his favorite song, perfectly. Everybody clapped their hands as he finished his performance in the backstage. “What’s your name, kid?”, asked the vocalist. “George”, he answered. “Errr…Are you George Groff?”, he asked George. “How could you know?”, George surprised. “Errr…I’m just…just…guessing. I like to guessing thing”, the vocalist answered. “Weird…”, George was curious, but suddenly the vocalist interrupted, “Alright, you can come to our home base next week. OK? See you later, I have to go”, he rushed.

                George than came home and told about his experience to his Mom. “I hope, someday, your band will be a famous band and you can help our family”, his mother replied. “Actually, it will be better if Dad could gather with us right now, so I can tell him also”, George said. “Shut up! Don’t you ever talked about him again!”, his mother replied with anger, because she has divorced with George’s father, since George was little. “But why Mom?! You know I never met him in my life!”, “You have”, said his mother. “When? I never met him until his death!”, George said. “What are you talking about?! He’s still alive, George!”, said his Mom. “Aha! Now, I know it that you are a liar! You said to me that he is died already, but now you told me about the other thing!”, he replied with loud voice. George’s mother cried, “I’m sorry, I think…I’m not a good mother for you”, she said. She took her bag and ran outside with tears. She entered her car, started the engine, and went out. She went to a pub for relax until midnight, while George stayed in the house with emotion.

                In the next day, he woke up and found his uncle sat on the armchair. “Hey, uncle! What are you doing here?”, he asked with confused. “George, she has gone”, he said. George laughed as he couldn’t believe his uncle. His uncle continued, “George, I’m serious, she found dead last night after a car accident. She was drunk”. George suddenly stopped laughing and started to hushed and cried as his uncle closed the front door and went back to his house. George cried with his black coat at the cemetery. He looked around and surprised after his eyes caught a people that he recognized, the vocalist of The Rapids. “Hi! Thank you for coming”, said George with his deep voice. “I’m sorry, George”. “Thank you”. Then, George continued, “Errr…Sorry, I forgot something. What’s your name?”. “I knew it, your mother won’t tell you”, said the vocalist. “Sorry?”. George replied. “I’m Pete, your childhood friend. Yes, I am. I’m the one that made you lost your memory.”, he told George. “Wow! You like to joke around! Hahaha…”, George started to laugh as he didn’t believe on him. “Yes, I do, but not for this time. I’m sorry, it’s OK if you won’t apologize me”, Pete said. “I will”, George answered. “Thank you, my old and new friend”, Pete replied with smile. “We’re not old friend anymore”, George said.

                Time has passed, now both of them are in the university. They got an opportunity to record their first album on a top studio in England. Everybody in The Rapids is so excited. They have made a lot of songs for this album. And, finally, George and Pete becomes close friend again and they work well together. And one more thing, George has made a song for his mother, because he has promised to his Mom, “I won’t lose this”, which actually means, “You”.