Two sides of the same coin

If you asked Riley Griffin what she would like to be doing on a Friday night, she would immediately answer that she would challenge her brother to a duel, because she adored pirates. He wouldn't agree, though, Simon Griffin never agrees, no matter how much he wants to. 

Their parents had caught them once, Riley standing on the desk and Simon on the ground with his sword pointing forward, their whole room was upside down; a broken lamp, scratches on the dark blue walls, books knocked off the shelves, sand with shells spilled on the carpet, they didn't even know how the sand got there. Their parents, instead of scolding them, sat down on the burgundy carpet and told them a made-up story about how pirates don't like to be copied, and if they find out that someone is imitating them, they will come in late at night and steal their most valuable things; they will also enchant them to smell like rotten fish for the rest of their lives. 

It was easy for Simon to believe the story, firstly because they lived very close to the sea and there were always ships in the distance, and secondly, because he liked a girl and feard of smelling like a rotten fish around her. Riley, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes and didn't believe a single word their parents said. Maybe she believed the part with the stealing valuable things, but the other things? She just waved her hand dismissively. 

If you asked what Riley Griffin would be doing on a Friday night, she would pout and tell you boringly that she would be sitting in her room, most likely laying on the carpet, looking through a sea magazine, while Simon talked about the blue-eyed girl who always scored better than him on tests. But instead, if you ask her what she would be doing now, on a Friday morning, she would tell you to shut up, because she was hiding behind the maroon curtains, that separated the living room from the kitchen, in their cozy little house, eavesdropping on her father's conversation with their neighbour. 

She didn't plan to eavesdrop, it just happened by accident. She had just gotten ready to go out, she was going for a bike ride with her friend Vicky, who lived right across the street. She had put on a helmet and knee and elbow pads, her backpack was full of trinkets she knew Vicky would like. Trinkets she had found on the seashore, probably lost by the pirates. 

She had a plan. She and Vicky would ride to the coast and look at all the trinkets that were hiding in the backpack. They would take their binoculars out and watch the ships in the horizon, trying to guess which of them all these things belonged to. It was going to be such a great day, but instead, she was standing frozen behind the curtains, because Vicky's father was standing in the kitchen discussing a trip that was going to happen very soon. Riley felt cold waves go through her, as if she had actually caught a glimpse of a pirate and not someone she had known for years. She couldn't understand what they were saying; what trip, to where, why? 

She'd known Vicky since she'd come to town, they were age two, now they were eight, and the things they'd shared over the years had made them the best of friends. Vicky loved the sky, she knew countless facts about birds that most people didn't even knew existed. Riley loved the sea, she wanted to be a pirate, but a good pirate, of course. 

And right now, she knew she wasn't supposed to hear any of this conversation, because her parents were going to make up a story, a fantasy story, to blind her eyes, to blind her mind, to soothe the pain, saying that Vicky is going on a mission and she will be back so soon, she won't even feel her absence. She knew this was supposed to be a secret between the adults. Vicky's family is going away for a little while, Mr and Mrs Griffin were going to say, nothing will change. But Riley knew what she heard, she wished she didn't believe her ears, but she heard the word leaving, which meant forever. She didn't understood what forever meant, but one time, in a Peter Pan movie, she heard that forever meant being forgotten. And that filled her eyes with tears. 

So she quietly went up the stairs to her room and opened the window. She took a deep breath. She had done it before, it was a meter and a half high, jumping on the roof tiles, then slowly and carefully making her way to the oak tree and down the branches. It was easy, but it was easy because Vicky was always waiting for her under the tree. Her eyes filled with tears even more. She closed them and clenched her teeth tightly to keep from crying. Now wasn't the time for that, she had an important mission to do. But when she opened them and looked at the tree, there was Vicky standing underneath. 

"Whatcha doing, Griffin?" she yelled and Riley's eyes widened. 

She smiled and without thinking, went on her little adventure with the roof and the tree branches. It took her a minute to reach the ground, which was pretty impressive for an eight year old girl. Being a pirate really is in your heart. That was what Vicky had told her one night, while they were counting the stars. 

"What are you doing here?" Riley furrowed her brows. 

"Why are you crying?" Vicky mimicked her expression. 

Riley lifted her chin, "Don't answer my question with a question." she also crossed her arms. 

Vicky just rolled her eyes, "We're not arguing about this again." 

Arguing with Vicky, Riley was going to miss that too. Her eyes filled with tears even more. 

"Hey, what's happening?" Vicky stepped closer, she was visibly concerned about her friend, so she just put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a little smile. This was her way of calming people. 

"You're leaving." Riley sniffed. Her nose was red, her cheeks too, and her eyes were getting puffy. 

Vicky's eyes were becoming watery too, she felt like she was looking through a see-through curtain. She tilted her head and curled her lips into a smile, or at least tried to, and failed. A lump had formed in her throat preventing her from saying anything, so she just nodded slowly. Riley had the same lump in her throat, so instead of screaming like she wanted to and asking why, why, why, she just squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her friend. 

What felt like thirty seconds was actually eight minutes. They stood there, refusing to let go of each other, knowing what letting go of that hug meant. But they eventually did, they couldn't stay like that forever. But during the hug, an idea crept into Riley's mind; she thought of attracting the pirates attention, then sneaking into their ship to find out where they draw magic from. Riley needed magic for Vicky to stay. She knew her parents too well, when they decide something they always held firmly to it. 

"You won't forget me, will you?" Riley's voice was trembling now. 

"How can I forget you, pirate? Remember what your gramps said? We are, like, the different sides of the same coin." she titled her head and gave her a little, but resuring, smile. 

As Riley wiped away her tears, still not completely understanding what was happening, what did leavingexactly meant, their fathers opened the front door and saw them there. Eight eyes looking at each other. Mr Griffin and Mr Armour were in slight shock to see them there, crying. They made the same expression of concern, it was visible that both of them felt very bad. Vicky's father came closer and put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He looked at Riley and gave her a little sad smile, then looked at Vicky and did the same. She returned the sad smile and nodded, they silently spoke to each other that it was time to go now and they will come back later to get better goodbyes. 

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon, Griffin." Vicky said and turned to go with her dad. 

Riley turned to hers. Mr Griffin tried his hardest to keep his composure, but he was a very emotional man and Riley knew that he was also hurting about Mr Armour going away. She went closer to him and held his hand, as they sat down on the steps. 

"It's okay, Dad." she said, tapping him on the back. 

It was too early for this conversation, Mr Griffin had a plan on how it was going to go, he was going to explain it well, make it hurt less, he was going to be prepared, use better words. But now he just cleared his throat and gently took his daughter's small hand in his. He looked into her eyes and smiled slightly. Riley knew he wanted to say something, so, for the first time in her life, she didn't interrupt him, as she always liked to do. 

"We are on a borrowed time. People come and people go, there are infinite amount of endings. And you can be sad that someone is going, that someone is leaving your life, but you should also be grateful that they were a part of it, that they taught you something." he swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, "You're  a different kid now, you've learned kindness, you've tasted it, and you know what a beautiful thing is to have someone who truly cares about you, apart from your relatives, of course." he swallowed the lump again, "You have such a beautiful and special friendship, one of a kind. And this is not the end of this friendship, pumpkin, this kind of connection never goes away, no matter the distance. The distance makes it even stronger." he nodded firmly and Riley felt like he was talking to the both of them, so she nodded too and wiped away her tears, hugging him as tightly as she can. 

She shouldn't have heard this conversation between him and Vicky's father. She should have continued on her way, passing through the living room, greeting them politely, and going out to ride bikes with Vicky. It was as simple as that. It was going to be such a great day. The best day ever. If she only didn't hear what they said. 

She still didn't completely understood what leavening meant and for how long it was supposed to be. But she believed that her friendship with Vicky was one of a kind and that no matter what comes their way, even the distance, it was going to make them stronger than ever and bring them closer together. 

So, leaving, really, wasn't that scary, it was terrifying, like a pirate, but she wasn't afraid of pirates, and she knew she wasn't going to be afraid of the distance either. But Riley had yet to learn what it was like to miss someone.