It is a privilege to have friends so close we’d consider them a part of our own families. However, that also means if an unfortunate incident were to take them away from us, we’d be left with scars that aren’t as easy to heal.
7 years after his best friend passed away in an accident, this Facebook user continues to post regularly on his friend’s page just to update him on how he’s doing. All the posts are in a perfectly normal and conversational tone, but the story behind it is truly touching.
Here’s how the conversations play out, and why it’s important to treasure the relationships we have while we can.
Image credit: Tuấn Ngọc
Yesterday, Facebook user Tuấn Ngọc posted on Cháo Hành Miễn Phí – a popular forum where Vietnamese netizens share wholesome stories – about a special friendship he had – has – with a man who died 7 years ago.
According to the OP, they had met shortly after graduating from college, when both were interns at Viettel – a major telecommunications company in Vietnam.
“He was from a big city, Hanoi, while I was from a poor rural area. There were days when I’d have no money for food or petrol, and he’d be the one to take care of me,” Tuấn Ngọc wrote.
The pair’s relationship couldn’t have been better, but fate is a cruel mistress indeed.
On the very same day his friend was relocated to a Viettel outlet closer to home, he was caught in a fatal accident while heading home from a farewell party at work.
After his friend’s death, Tuấn Ngọc applied for his vacant position at the company, so he’d get to sit at the very same working desk his friend would have sat at.
He wrote, “On my first day at the new job, when I saw that the desk still had his nametag on it, I cried.”
We’re not ashamed to admit, so did we.
Accompanying Tuấn Ngọc’s post are several screenshots of messages he’d written on his friend’s Facebook wall, as if the latter were still around. These messages range from “Happy New Year” and “Happy Birthday” posts, to the OP sharing what’s new in his life with his friend.
A relatively recent post, uploaded on 17th October 2020, reads:
Image adapted from Tuấn Ngọc
“I and Phi [presumably their mutual friend] dropped by to visit you today. It’s been 7 years and I still tear up looking at your altar, how silly of me.
“It’d always been the three of us together. Now we’re both almost 30, while you’ll stay 23 forever.”
It appears that the man has done this for years too. One of the earliest messages Tuấn Ngọc shared, dates all the way back to 22nd December 2015.
Image adapted from Tuấn Ngọc
It says, “On this day, 2 years ago, you played quite a prank on me. It still hurts.” It’s safe to assume this was possibly the anniversary of his friend’s death.
The message that got to us the most was when Tuấn Ngọc told his friend he was going to get married soon, but that the joy was “not complete without you.”
Image credit: Tuấn Ngọc
All the messages look like casual conversations, but we can only imagine the grief Tuấn Ngọc had to process, while writing every word.
Some say if you’re friends with someone for over 7 years, you’re friends for life. What Tuấn Ngọc shares with his deceased friend goes even beyond that. It’s a friendship that transcends death itself.
Our deepest condolences go to the man for his loss. At the same time, his story’s given us a new appreciation for the loved ones we’re still lucky enough to have around us.
Let us always remember to treasure every moment we have with them.
For more stories, check out:
Cover image adapted from Tuấn Ngọc
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