NARRATIVE ESSAY

Memorable Experience
There is a little rhyme by an unknown author that starts out, I remember the day;
I remember the plae! that always ome to my mind when I think about my "riend,
#hristopher$ I remember the day I met him %i%idly$
#hristopher approahed me as I was workin& in a retail store in the mall in '((($
)e had on a tan suit and the bi&&est, bri&htest smile I had e%er seen on a white person*
)e stuk his hand out "ormally and heer"ully stated, )i* I+m #hristopher* I+m your new
o,worker$ I look "orward to workin& with you*! )e shook my hand -uikly and ran o"" to
the ne.t assoiate to introdue himsel" in the same manner$ I stood there bemused by
his -uirky little pae and mouse like appearane and &enuinely honest approah$ It was
apparent by his "aial "eatures and style o" introdution that #hristopher was %ery
youn&$ As it turned out, this was his "irst /ob$ )e had /ust &raduated "rom hi&h shool$
I remember the day I met #hristopher so well beause we went on to beome
&reat "riends$ 0e spent time han&in& out a"ter work, and a"ter we both had le"t the
department store, we still "ound time to &o to &et beer and hot win&s when he was old
enou&h or to hat about li"e at the a"1$ 0e would run into eah other in passin& and
always stop and take time to "ill eah other in our li%es$ 0e ne%er rushed a
on%ersation, and we always &reeted eah other and le"t eah other with a hu&$
2ur "riendship was intimate, you ould say$ 0e disussed lo%e, li"e, se.,
desires3anythin& lose "riends would normally open their hearts and minds and talk
about$ I was there to hear all about his "irst lo%e and the "irst time he had se.$ I learned
all about his "ather abandonin& him when he was a baby$ I shared my world with him
and o""ered him ad%ie as well$
The last time I hu&&ed #hristopher was in the a"1 diretly a"ter our on%ersation
about his /oinin& the 4arine #orp$ This was in 566', a month a"ter the September ''
tra&edies$ I said, You did 0)AT7*7 #hristopher, you ould &et killed*!
8uly 9'
st
, 566:, #hristopher was killed in Ira- by enemy "ire$ I still see his
innoent and beauti"ul "ae as the boy who approahed me se%en years a&o, not the
"ae o" the thin 4arine that headlined our loal newspapers$
#hristopher+s death didn+t han&e my li"e, as I+m sure it has "or many$ 4eetin&
him did$ I ha%e ne%er met suh an honest and arin& person in my li"e$ 8ust knowin&
him had made me %iew thin&s in a di""erent perspeti%e and in a bri&hter li&ht$ Now that
he is &one, I reali;e that he was a &i"t to me and I herish the time we spent as "riends$