For me, friendship also means familiarity, memories, and empathy. Since kindergarten, two friends have remained very close to me, even though we unfortunately see each other very rarely these days. We spent a lot of time together, and over the years, a number of places, sounds, and smells have accumulated that remind me of them both. Michael's snoring probably still reminds my brain of children's rooms, making model airplanes, and listening to Three Investigators in the loft bed. That's probably why I can fall asleep next to him in seconds, even though the noise would trigger a complete crisis in any normal person. Marcel's loud farts are just as familiar to me. I'm almost happy to hear them again these days, even though I used to almost jump up and down when he would mess up the room again. Michael always smelled of OMO detergent and a combination of basement, heating oil tank, and varnish and paint storage room. We can drive thousands of kilometers without saying a word, and we still know that everything is fine. We know how the other is feeling and what the other is thinking before they even say it. Sometimes I find myself in situations that remind me of them, whether it's the smell of Omo detergent and the basement or a place where we used to play. Every time, I laugh to myself for a brief moment. These memories last a lifetime, and I know there's someone out there who occasionally thinks of me.
