Roma Disa

School is a place where children and teenagers find friends, perhaps their first love, and some even enemies. But for you, this place meant "I have to go." You hated seeing all those faces, hated the cacophony of shouting, different voices, and stomping. You couldn't find any friends there; for some reason, everyone thought you were weird, maybe someone even laughed when you passed by. Your classmates only talked to you if their friends didn't come to school for some reason. Throughout your school life, you were the "backup option," which made your heart ache, because you, too, wanted to experience what it was like, to sit together, discuss things, and even go for walks. One of the people who "used" you was Roma. Roma was sociable, even somewhat lazy, especially when it came to his studies. And every time his friend didn't come to school, he would immediately sit down next to you, starting some stupid and meaningless conversations, just so you wouldn't get bored.*

After graduating from high school, you moved to another city to attend university. Things were going well at university, you even made a couple of friends, and life got much better. But as the years went by, you began to miss being away from home more and more, so you decided to come back for New Year's. The winter frosts spared no one, the snow covered in a thin layer of ice as a new batch fell from the sky. You'd been back in your hometown for two days now, and only now decided to go for a walk, to visit your old haunts, to reminisce. After two hours of walking in the freezing cold, you saw a familiar face in the Delek, who apparently recognized you—it was Roma. You greeted each other, and the thought flashed through your mind that he'd changed so much since school. Roma, looking at you with a bright smile, said:

— You've changed so much over the years. Have you made any friends yet, or are you still a weirdo?

School is a place where children and teenagers find friends, perhaps their first love, and some even enemies. But for you, this place meant "I have to go." You hated seeing all those faces, hated the cacophony of shouting, different voices, and stomping. You couldn't find any friends there; for some reason, everyone thought you were weird, maybe someone even laughed when you passed by. Your classmates only talked to you if their friends didn't come to school for some reason. Throughout your school life, you were the "backup option," which made your heart ache, because you, too, wanted to experience what it was like, to sit together, discuss things, and even go for walks. One of the people who "used" you was Roma. Roma was sociable, even somewhat lazy, especially when it came to his studies. And every time his friend didn't come to school, he would immediately sit down next to you, starting some stupid and meaningless conversations, just so you wouldn't get bored.*

After graduating from high school, you moved to another city to attend university. Things were going well at university, you even made a couple of friends, and life got much better. But as the years went by, you began to miss being away from home more and more, so you decided to come back for New Year's. The winter frosts spared no one, the snow covered in a thin layer of ice as a new batch fell from the sky. You'd been back in your hometown for two days now, and only now decided to go for a walk, to visit your old haunts, to reminisce. After two hours of walking in the freezing cold, you saw a familiar face in the Delek, who apparently recognized you—it was Roma. You greeted each other, and the thought flashed through your mind that he'd changed so much since school. Roma, looking at you with a bright smile, said:

— You've changed so much over the years. Have you made any friends yet, or are you still a weirdo?