I met Sixsmith in one of my art courses during the summer of 1931. He was a hard person to read so one day I sat next to him in class. I wanted to know more about him because he seemed interesting to me. I opened up the conversation by asking why he was at this college. The conversation was light but I was determined to get to know him better. I continued to sit next to him in class and eventually the conversation grew more interesting as our friendship grew.
Soon our conversations were more intimate and he begins to tell me about his life and I in turn tell him about mine. I guess we just needed to break the ice and soon we were meeting for coffee at the college café. I tell him of my mother and father who were middle class farmers and how they lived off the land. Me being their only child, they taught me how raise livestock and cultivate the land we lived on. When I told them I had received my acceptance letter from college they were overjoyed saying that they were proud to have a son like me. I would be the first to attend college in my family. "After I had told them they through the biggest going away party I have ever seen. It was so much fun that I didn't want to leave." I told Sixsmith.
Sixsmith parents both came from wealthy families and were well educated which meant he was raised in an upper-class family. They taught him that money was everything and helps the world spin in this new era of industry. They hired tutors to teach him about the ways of business and government. They wanted him to achieve their dream of being a governor in London when he grew up. His parents were overbearing and demanding of his respect. He didn't want this life but didn't seem to have a choice. They chose his college for him and he knew if he didn't say something he would be forced to live the life they chose for him. He decided he would apply to a college of his choice behind their back. His parents were angry with him and threatened not to pay for his education. He said he didn't care and didn't need their money. They were not proud of this decision and tried to persuade him to change his mind. He however was determined to follow his dream and not his parents. He knew even though he challenged their authority and they seemed to let him go they would still be watching him.
The friendship between us grew and we enjoyed being with each other. I had never been good at relationships but Sixsmith made it easy. I just was relaxed and had fun being around him. He taught me good friends stood by one another and could be trusted even with the most intimate details of one another's life.
We soon found a mutual fondness for practical jokes and one day froze some our science professor's bugs that he kept in the class for experiments and made them into ice cubes. We then proceeded to put the ice cube bugs into his drink the next day. As the ice started to melt he saw the bugs floating in his drink and shrieked before heading to the bathroom to throw up. The relationship I had with Sixsmith was becoming very special to me.
One day Sixsmith told me about another friend of his. He began to reveal to me a relationship with a person named Robert. Robert was brilliant man who had been born to a low-class family. Sixsmith was honestly surprised that such a man could exist in such difficult circumstances. When he first met Robert, he paid no attention to him but Robert always tried to gain his attention. Then one day he gave in and decided to talk to him which went against all his parents' beliefs and morals. They always told him that low-class citizens were nobodies and a disease that plagued their city. Yet there he was talking to some low-class scumbag not caring what his family or anyone else thought of him. "This would've been one of the many times that I would disobey my parents' ideals of the world. Quite frankly I didn't care about their new opinion of me and Robert's relationship." Sixsmith had said.
He became fond of Robert immediately and their friendship grew. I know from our conversations he is more than just his friend. He trusts me as he tells me of the intimate details of their life together. He discusses the letters that he'd been receiving from Robert. Each one he's read talks about how Robert is working and living at Zedelghem. I've heard about Vivyon Ayrs before, I read that he was a great composer back in the day but has lost his touch in his senior years. To learn that Sixsmith's friend Robert was studying under Vivyon Ayrs' wing astounded me. Sixsmith revealed to me the special relationship he had with Robert and didn't want Robert to leave him and work for the composer. He knew; however, it was Robert's dream to be a composer himself and working at Zedelghem with Vivyon Ayrs would help him accomplish his dream. He told Sixsmith he would write to him and keep him informed of his work at Zedelghem. He would not be gone forever and promised to be come back to him. Sixsmith is glad for his friend but sad he must leave him.
As the term ended I had a feeling Sixsmith would be off to find his friend. He knew Robert had left the composer's house and was now on his own. He wasn't sure how he was living and how much money he had. Robert sounded desperate to finish the work he was writing and Sixsmith had to find out what was happening to his friend. I tried to tell him everything was going to be alright but he said goodbye anyway and we parted ways. I hope Sixsmith finds his friend well.
I thought their story was incredible because they kept a healthy long distance relationship. I began to envy Sixsmith and his close relationship with Robert. Relationships have always been hard thing for me to have because the friends that I made always seem to be heading in different directions than me. But with Sixsmith he could do it without even trying. I makes me wonder what would've happened if I had met Sixsmith early in my life. Would I have been better with relationships now then I was back then in my youth? Or would nothing happen and would my life still be the same as it was today? Either way I'm happy to have met Sixsmith and learn about his life story. I believe we were meant to meet and I am a better friend because of the relationship I had with Sixsmith. His life touched mine and I in turn can develop long lasting relationship with the people I meet.