We were sitting next to the river. The water was quietly rushing past. A light breeze caused the nearby trees to rustle. I let my bare feet soak in the water. My friend was throwing stones into the river, trying to make them skip.
“Hey, look, that one actually managed a little bounce! I saw it!” I encouraged.
“Yeah, just a little bit. There has to be something with my angle; I used to be really good at this.”
“I remember. It’s been years.”
We were both quiet for a short while. My friend threw a couple more stones into water, and none of them bounced off.
“Forget about it, I don’t care if they skip anymore. I’m done.” After saying that, my friend came and sat next to me. My friend’s feet weren’t put into the water.
“How’s your mom doing?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in a couple months. I thought she might swing by for my birthday, but no luck.” My friend picked up another stone and tossed it into the water.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be,” My friend replied. “It isn’t your fault. At least you care enough to ask.”
I looked down at the river and sighed.
“Hey,” My friend said. “Chin up.” My friend put his hand underneath my chin and lifted my face up. I turned my head to look at my friend. “After all, you and I are still here, right?”