Hello, darkness, my old friend¹. That’s what he said as he walked into the office for the first time. I was sitting in the morning sun², feeling a bit out of place in the new environment.

He introduced himself with, „This is a story of a girl“³, though obviously not about him. We laughed, and I thought, „Once upon a time, not so long ago“⁴, two strangers started their journey.

We quickly found common ground. He said, „Come gather ‚round people, wherever you roam“⁵. I nodded and replied, „I was working part-time in a five-and-dime“⁶. From that day, we became fast friends.

He had a way of saying, „Oh, what a night“⁷, no matter how the day went. Every morning, he greeted me with, „It’s a beautiful day“⁸. Together, we faced the corporate grind, believing that with a little help from my friends⁹, we could get through anything.

One afternoon, he turned to me and said, „You can’t always get what you want“¹⁰. We laughed, agreeing that, „Here comes the sun“¹¹, always brightened the darkest times.

As time passed, we started hanging out after work. He’d often say, „Hey Jude, don’t make it bad“¹², whenever I was down. In return, I’d remind him, „Lean on me, when you’re not strong“¹³, and he did.

We shared countless memories, from late-night talks to weekend adventures. I remember, „It’s been a long day without you, my friend“¹⁴, when he was on vacation, but we always reconnected like no time had passed.

One evening, as we sat by the fire, he said, „If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me“¹⁵. I smiled and replied, „This will be our year, took a long time to come“¹⁶. Our friendship was unbreakable.

Years turned into decades, and even as life changed, our bond remained strong. He once said, „We’ve only just begun to live“¹⁷, and I knew he was right. In the end, „The love you take is equal to the love you make“¹⁸.

1: The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
2: Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
3: Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days
4: Livin‘ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
5: The Times They Are A-Changin‘ by Bob Dylan
6: Raspberry Beret by Prince
7: December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) by The Four Seasons
8: Beautiful Day by U2
9: With a Little Help from My Friends by The Beatles
10: You Can’t Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones
11: Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
12: Hey Jude by The Beatles
13: Lean on Me by Bill Withers
14: See You Again by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
15: Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
16: This Will Be Our Year by The Zombies
17: We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters
18: The End by The Beatles