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My Friend's Laughter
Do you have that one friend that no matter how miserable or depressed you are he or she
always makes you feel better? That’s Sofia for me. Whenever I feel hopeless and gloomy and
like everything is tumbling down, I can always count on her. She claims that her laughter is the
greatest gift of all because she could simply share it with anyone, regardless of language
barriers. Her laughter has always brought me joy in my darkest hours, like that time I failed the
physics course in high school, or when my grandma died and I was unable to get over it, or
even that time Paula – my ex-girlfriend – moved from my small hometown to another city, where
she did not hesitate one second to find another guy in her life. Through these harsh moments in
my life, the only companion I could rely on was Sofia with her big smile and her lively laughter,
which is often loud, wild, and uncontrollable, but always genuine, honest, and contagious. The
best thing about it is that it can cheer an entire room and bring light to anyone’s face; it doesn’t
matter if you know her or not, a smile from her is something you can always count on. The worst
thing about it is that it will haunt you forever, you will be able to hear it everywhere you go with
great intensity, and you will not be capable of getting rid of it. But I must be honest about
something, I know that behind that cheerful face and unrestrained personality there is
something that bothers her; something that I have not yet been able to unravel. Her life has not
been the easiest one, but she has tried her hardest to live it to the fullest and let behind
everything that has damaged her. I believe this has made her stronger and that is why she has
decided not to spend a day without using her gift of cheering the people around her. At the end
of the day, had I heard her laugh, no matter how exhausted I felt, it automatically made me feel
better. And now that she is no longer by my side, I get to look back at our time together and
cherish her friendship and the great value she taught me: not living one day without having
smiled and being thankful of being alive and well. Her laughter resides in my memory forever.
