**Best **

Girl

Friends

by

MVManalo

P.E.R.K.S./ MVM Copyright. Cover photo credited to owner

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Sasa at Milan

Italy is a lovely country. I have been living here for five years now and as if I can never get over the lights, the music and the people. Romanticizing Milan is an insult for there’s no city more romantic than my old town Milano. Mutto Bene!, Magnifico!.

It’s been a while since I came for a visit to Italy. I can still remember that rainy day when I met her. It’s started out with a little conversation, what was that we talked about…uh!. Oh yes, about our stay in Italy. Rain is pouring but my heart was beating faster than the droplets of water that was making her blouse wet and her black colored bra sticking out, literally sticking-out with her breasts seen because her top’s unbuttoned its upper three buttons. She didn’t care for she laughed with my lame jokes about the rain, the people we met while we were walking. I can’t remember where we were headed but I just knew that she was the girl for me. I am a woman, born and raised in Italy until I reached 15 years old. I needed to go to a dormitory in the states and graduated at Harvard University. Leila was a friend of mine back when I was 12 or 13 years but we grew up together in Italy and had so much fun in our grade school years.

When I went back to Milan to visit and stayed for a month. I saw her while walking to get some milk at a nearby store near my apartment. She just happened to appear right in front of the store and I happened to see her and said hi. Leila said hello and I said hi, we smiled, then, that was it, we hooked up and walked in the rain with our heels on and our skimpy, formal and jackets for cold weather outfits.

I am Marissa and this is my best friend and I’s story. Let’s just say that Leila is just a friend but we were more than that. When we were in elementary we were close at the hip but when we went our separate ways in high school up until college. We both knew that our friendship was stronger and long lasting than age, distance and gender. Leila made a promise that wherever we are or whoever we are with, we will remain best of friends. And that was so true. When we saw each other again after ten years of so, she was the same Leila  or Lei I loved and I was the same Marissa or Sasa she adored back in the days when we were young, innocent and naïve.

Leila

Lei hugged me when saw me at the store. I noticed her face was smudged and her eye liner was all melting, I just thought maybe because of the rain. But it’s like yet the truth was, she just broke up with her long-time boyfriend of eight and they were supposed to meet there but he got caught up and honestly told her he was seeing another girl and is in love with her for many years now. Lei just smiled at me when I asked if she’s okay. She was always the smarter one, the famous one and the stronger one in our pool of friends. We were closer than anybody in our circle of friends which made it more nice, since she was always there when I needed her and so was I for her.

When we talked that time, she told me everything and well, since I was studying at Harvard I never thought that she didn’t finish college and went to work as a secretary at a construction firm in Milan. She didn’t leave our city and home town, but what she was happy about to see was me and missed me and our friendship. Which I too missed when I left the city and her. That moment when after ten years, we saw each other again, Lei couldn’t help but  hug and kiss me all over my face. I was so happy too since it’s been a while since a girl kissed me and that was the start of a more serious relationship between Lei and I.

Lei and Sasa

I told her that I didn’t want to kiss her because she just broke up with her boyfriend, but I will do it because I like her and liked her ever since we were kids. She agreed and smiled at me sweetly. I was never a tomboy and if you look closely, I am a girl and a woman doing what every woman does, wearing make ups, skirts and thongs, going to spas, doing manis and pedis, etc. But inside, I can only love women and the woman I truly desired was Leila. It might sound weird, disgusting or whatever. But I love her and no one can take this feeling away from me, not even my mom who was against me being lesbian and all. But in the long run she fully accepted who I truly was especially when graduated magna cumlaude in my business administration class. I was really doing what I love to do and loving the person who loves me too.

And so I thought. Leila is beautiful and smart but she lacks loyalty and discipline. She wanted more and never got satisfied until I found out that she was with another man in a bar when we were still together. A  friend of ours told me on a DM never believed she’d do such a thing. But when I heard she got pregnant, then, it was confirmed that she was having an affair when we were still together. I got furious and raged back to her home. I let her stay with her sister because she said she needed time and all. I believed her but I didn’t know that she was unfaithful to me. When I came to the house she received me with open arms and apologized.

I was mad at her and said things that I am regretting now that I said them. After that I stormed out and never saw her again.  One of our friends told me she moved to the states with her baby and the guy left her automatically when he knew she was with child. I got frustrated and never forgave her. But after five long, painful but lucky years. I am now earning millions of dollars and a rich real estate broker in California.

I went back to Milan after another five years and it felt good going back to my roots and my hometown. I never heard of Leila or her baby, not even her family. Our friends never saw her again and for almost 15 years all in all. I never thought I would see her again. And this is the part that I cherish most and is worth telling.

I am 40 years old now and is still single. Well, men and women wanted to get their hands of me or maybe my money but heck I never found that one for me. Leila was the only one but she broke my heart and I never forgot it until now.

I was walking down the same spot Leila and I walked. I feel the same but maybe is matured looking since I cut my hair to shoulder length. Leila always loved my hair long but since she’s out of my life I wanted to have a fresh start.

I was still walking and then saw a young woman who is wearing an office outfit and all. I was shocked when she turned to face me, she looked like Leila or so it seem. Leila should have been my age and would look the same but not younger. I almost got a heart attack and couldn’t let her slip, not this time that I found her. Maybe she’ll be able to tell me where Leila is. And what would be her relationship with Leila?

The girl was nice to accompany me with my daily walk and talked about her and her family. She is indeed Leila’s relative, her own daughter, her own flesh and blood. She said her name is Liliana and I can call her Lana. She told me what happened to her and her mom. It was a sad and long story but I was willing to listen and invited her to my mansion near the store. Lana agreed to meet me but she couldn’t tell me what happened to her mom which I was eager to know more about. She said she’ll do that later. Anticipating later, I couldn’t think straight, since I’m not straight anyway, hehe! I waited and my door bell rang. It was Lana. And here I knew what truly happened with Leila, fifteen years ago!

Enzo

I was unhappy in spite of my money, popularity and goodness. As if a hole in my heart Is left open for anyone who can make me feel special and pretty once again. But not anyone I know or I meet seems to have the qualities I desired for my heart to accept and let that person in, stay and reside in me. Only one person has touched me deeper than I could ever imagine. Only, Leila, could and can make me feel safe, loved and desired. She is my one and only love, I guess the sole woman I could ever love….

Sasa!....Sasaaaaa!....Sasa, hey! What’s wrong with you? Can’t you hear me?, Leila said while I was busy looking at an ant walking with a strip of berry on top of its head going toward somewhere. It was so prompt, hardworking and busy. Hmm….I think when I grow up I would be like this ant, busy, hardworking and smart. Hey!, Lei, you shouldn’t be so serious . You think you can help me here, please? I think this ant, Pablo, hihi, needs a lift. Haha!

You’re crazy! Sasa, that ant can go anywhere if he wants to, plus, I think they can travel the whole world if they desired it, Lei added which at the age of 8, would be the smartest answer I could get from a grade schooler. Leila is an honor student and in class she always get top scores on tests and quizzes. I usually get even marks on mine, like 80 or 85 at the most. But it’s just fine with me. I don’t like school that much. I love travelling and making money in school such as selling my drawings or creative artworks. We go to school together at St. Louis School Colonna in Milan.

My parents moved here for work since my dad is an engineer and my mom an arts teacher. Leila, on the other hand, is a beautiful girl who has talent for singing, dancing and musical creations. I always thought she would end up singing in some hotel or become a pop star who would travel the world and all. It’s summer now in Milan and about to head to season of fall. Leila and I would always walk at the street of Via Montenapoleone, since Leila loves shopping and until the age of 16, we skip school and roam around this street most of the time than not, we were up to no good in some other street which we could just eat some pizza and burgers but most of all the ever famous Panini or Panino or a bread roll with cheese spread on Ciabatta bread with lettuce, tomatoes and more cheese.

Piazale Loreto                                                                         Ciabatta Bread

I love it so much as much as I love Leila and seeing her happy makes me even happier when were together slacking and lurking around Via and more. I was already fluent in speaking English when I came here and Leila was fluent in Italian. The first time I met her was when I was walking near the 7/11 store at Piazzale Loreto since I just live at about four apartments before the store. So I always go there and Leila was always standing in front of the store like she was waiting for someone. So, I said hi and she smiled to say hi too. Then, a young man came to greet her, who I thought was her boyfriend but turned out to be her brother, named Lorenzo.

She calls him Enzo and since Leila is my best friend I became close to Enzo, that when I came to visit their home one time Leila invited me to come over, he kissed me in the kitchen when their mom asked me to get a bowl for the salad Mrs. Rodrigo. I was so shocked I almost lost my footing and throw the bowl in his face when he caught me off guarded. He apologized afterwards but he always tried to do it again every time I visit, so, I would ask Leila to come visit me instead in our apartment. My dad loves Leila and she always call my parents Mr. and Mrs. Smith, like the movie Mr. & Mrs Smith, yeah, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Anyway! I love her making fun of our last name but one time, we were at the corner of 7/11, we saw her boyfriend across the street being kissed by another girl after he was loaded off the car the girl was driving.