I remember the kid next door with whom I grew up, a short and stocky lad

named Donald Meaux. Did I say stocky? A modern day Pillsbury Dough Boy with

high top sneakers and knee high-socks is a more accurate description. He has been

my next door neighbor for more than eighteen years. We met as most children do

through the friendship of our parents. Our fathers shared cold beers in the evening,

while our mothers gossiped in the kitchen over tea. Their two diapered infants

played in the playpen together day in and day out. In this friendship, which was

similar to that of a married couple, Donald and I had our ups and our downs; yet for

ten years, we spent day after day together. We often fought, and then we made up

once the ice cream man came around the corner in his magical truck. But, like most

good things, the friendship wore away with time.

I remember Donald as a spoiled, aggravating four year old. Neither of these

are characteristics that anyone looks for in a lifelong friendship. Yet, characteristics

like these are not very important to a child of four. At four years old, people

get worse if you let them linger, like old meat left out on the counter to spoil.

Over the eighteen years that I have known Donald, I have learned a lot. I

for dessert every now and then. For the first few years, our friendship was flawless.

but for years it felt as though it were miles.

complicated about it; it just happened. He kept his old friends, and I made new

ended up talking for hours about old times and school. We spoke for the first time

we find it in ourselves to once again visit with each other.

ones. I played sports and he did not . I went out on the weekends and he stayed

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dough Boy, Super Mario, Fruity Pebbles, Baton Rouge, , Donald Meaux, day day, spent day, spent day day, stopped house, found ourselves,
Approximate Word count = 786
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)