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What do you know? It is my best friend's wedding tomorrow. How do I feel? Nostalgic, I think.

I miss him. Let me tell you about the things we used to do.

He loved Napoli and I loved Ajax. We were crazy about football. We knew the names of every promising young player before they were bought by big clubs. We used to choose a weak team in FIFA video games and try to win championships with it. We never tried to get the great players into our club because that is boring! We were always different than other people, and we loved uncommon things, like Napoli, and Ajax!

We used to make plans to get out of our English class in 10th grade. We would list all the gadgets we have (pens, watches, anything!) and then create a plan to get out. Sometimes we would come up with absolutely ridiculous excuses to get out of the class. It was so funny that Hussam ran into a wall one day. Let him tell you about this some time.

We met in 8th grade. First couple of weeks of school, we were out on a field trip, and they were 5 friends forming a football team that needed a 6th player. That was me. We beat all the teams that day, and I became friend with all 5. It was until 9th or 10th grade that we became best friends.

When we are with people and one of us wanted to tell the other something privately, we would call that an X marker. An X marker was our way of telling each other that I want to tell you something related to what is going on right now, but I cannot say it in front of these people. It was wild. I would bet you a million dollars you would never understand our chats. We knew each other so well we did not need to speak a lot.

We watched the 2014 football world cup together. Some of the best nights of my life.

We have also watched the NBA 2018 semi finals together at 4 AM. I would fall asleep halfway through the first quarter. We were so pissed at the Rockets and Gordon"s terrible shooting.

First year of college? We did not study a bit. We were always hanging out. Later on Hussam realized he needs to study, haha, and that perhaps is where our relationship became different.

He was there for me during all the hard times I have been through. He is kind and generous, and he is one of the smartest people I know. He is my link to my past. He will never find a good barbershop, and he is a great doctor.

He should lose some weight but do not tell him I said that.

I do not believe that kid I grew up with is becoming a man. I got pictures from the day we went on our first ride after he got his car license in 2013.

I do not want to believe it.

Circle of life.