Much research has been done in the area of childhood and social alienation. The studies all point to the resilience of children. As long as a children can find one friend they survive elementary school alienation and do better over all. Also children do find their own niche. Shy children tend to hang out with other shy children and so on.
I was frustrated trying so hard to be friends with Renate and Brenda, only to find that whatever I did never worked out. At nine years old, I had to admit that, as much as I preferred otherwise, in my case, two was company and three was a crowd.
I wanted to play with my two best friends. Yet they preferred to play without me. I often found myself in the middle of an argument with one or both of them and never knowing why. My grandmother had often told me to leave those two girls to themselves and find myself new friends, and at nine years of age, I realized it was time.
In 1964, a new girl came to my grade 4 class. Maxine came from Nova Scotia just like Brenda before her. But unlike Brenda, Maxine appeared to like everyone. She invited anyone to play with her and seemed to enjoy crowds of kids. However, the kids found her strange and did not play with her any more than they played with me. As time went on, Maxine and I became best friends. It no longer hurt to see Brenda and Renate off playing together.
Brenda would laugh at Maxine and her old-fashioned clothes. Renate would ask me why I bothered with Maxine, "she was so weird." But I didn’t care what they said anymore. They had already proven that they never really were my friends at all.
Though Maxine liked all the kids, she really was as quiet and shy as I was. It didn’t seem to bother her that I was her only friend. On the other hand, it was so long since Renate had been my only friend and one who cared about me that I could not remember the good feelings attached to that friendship.
Renate left the school when I was only seven and I was left alone. Nobody wanted to be my friend until Brenda came from Nova Scotia. Once I managed to introduce Brenda to Renate, those friendships ended for me. They left me out and I was alone again.
Now, I finally had a new friend and a very good one at that. Maxine was kind, loving, and giving. She was quiet like me, and like me, she was wise beyond her years. In terms of compatibility, I had found the perfect friend. With Maxine, I could say and be whatever I wanted. She so understood, supportive, and sweet. My elementary school years finally became less traumatic for me. Now I had a real friend both in school and out. Maxine and I finished elementary school together and went on to high school. She was there for me all the way through. Maxine exemplified the meaning of unconditional love and friendship. She stuck with me through thick and thin and she made a lonely little girl very happy.
