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"I mean, it's fate, Judo. That's really all there is to it."
"Mhmm."
"I mean, why else would the universe schedule Jean-Luc's holiday at the very same time as mine? At the very same place we met as kids? It's madness."
"I guess for the same reason that the universe does anything, yeah?"
"Judo, may I just say that you're not being a very good friend right now?"
"You may, Bluey."
"Do you even care about what I'm saying right now?"
"Obviously, yes."
"Oh yeah? Then what have I been saying?"
"Alright, I'll spare you the details, but: you first met Jean-Luc ten years ago on a camping trip out in the bush with your parents. It was the first time that you had ever met someone who didn't speak English, and so you were a little afraid of him at first. But he was so persistent and kind that the two of you started playing as if you'd known one another your entire lives. Together, you built a hut out of fallen sticks and leaves, planted a fruit tree, and pretended that your dad was a wild hog that you needed to hunt down. You then spent the next several days of your holidays playing together, until you woke up one day to find his campground empty. You only realized later that he was saying goodbye to you the last time you saw one another. As you were explaining all of this to your mom after the fact, you looked up and saw more stars then you had ever seen before in your life because you were so far away from the city and it was the middle of the night. So you chose a star at random, and wished that you would see him again someday. Sometimes you still cry about it if you think about it for too long. And Bingo likes to make fun of you about that to this day."
"...oh. I guess you were listening."
"Yeah. Obviously. I'm your friend. That's what I do."
"...yeah. You're right."
"Yeah. Of course I am. Go on, then."
"Well, uh...now, I have his number. He speaks really good English now."
"You mean, 'he speaks English well'. Maybe you're the one who needs to brush up on their native tongue?"
"Whatever. Anyway. I don't really know what I should text him, if I'm being honest. I'm sure a lot has changed for us since we were kids."
"I wouldn't know anything about that."
"What d'you mean by that?"
"It's just a joke."
"I thought about asking him about what he remembers from that holiday. It has to be a lot, right? I mean, he remembered me."
"I think you're overthinking this. Just text the guy and take it from there."
"Hey, change of topic. Sorry if I'm being nosey, but you seem kinda sad today. Is something bugging you? I know I've been talking a lot..."
"Nope. I'm my usual cheery self, thank you very much."
"Are you absolutely sure? I mean, I know we like our banter, but today seems-"
"Actively hostile?"
"So you do notice it?"
"Bluey, do you remember the games we used to play when we were little?"
"I remember you bossing me around to play 'phones', yeah."
"I meant the other games."
"Well, which ones? We played a lot of games."
"So you don't remember?"
"Judo, c'mon, don't be like that. I don't know why you're upset with me. It's like my dad always says - 'if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help make it better'."
"We used to play 'house'."
"Yeah. That's right. You'd always insist on being the mom. Then, you'd throw a fit if I didn't play 'dad'. See? I remember."
"Great. Do you remember anything else?"
"...please don't hate me for this, but no, not really."
"Well. Bingo was always our baby."
"Oh, yeah, now that you mention it. Uh, was that it?"
"...yeah. I guess that was it."
"Sorry, but I still don't quite get it."
"It's nothing. Forget I said anything, okay? I think I'm just being silly."
"Judo, if something is really bothering you, I'm all ears."
"Really. It's nothing. Sorry."
"Well, if you change your mind..."
"Tell me more about Jean-Luc."
"Well, another game we used to play was 'farmers'. I think he tended to our 'animals', and I did most of the planting. We would dive deep into the bush and pick up all of the seeds we could find, ball them in our fists, and then dig deep holes in the ground to dump them in. I remember being so thrilled about getting messy with him and knowing that my mom wouldn't be able to clean me up until dinnertime, ha! Oh, and there was this other game, too, I think I called it 'explorers'..."