A Secret For Two: My Response

Eternal Friendship

Those of us, who have experienced true friendship, know the necessary parts of making friendship whole. "A Secret for Two" is about a friendship between a man and his horse that are joined together with an eternal and strong bond. It's also about kindness, love, and sacrifice. These three things are important components for friendship. Especially, in this case, an eternal friendship.

When Pierre dies, his death proves that dying may not always be depressing, unexpected, or unpleasant. This was one of my favorite parts; there was something that made me excited for a moment. How could someone be so attached to their horse, their best friend, that to be together that person could give up his or her life? This made a strong imprint that death may not always be something to grieve. Death, in this case, showed a life of eternal friendship. Pierre's death is a very interesting point in the story. It gave me second opinions on passing away, that's why I thought that this part was one of the best parts throughout the story.

My other favorite part was when the doctor reveals that Pierre had been blind, not for a short amount of time, but for five full years. This was surprising; I had been intrigued by the point that Joseph wore his hat low enough to cover his eyes and that he boasted blind men could cover his route with Joseph, but never thought he could have been blind for so long. Still this was not the part that got me thinking, what really made me think was that Pierre could have quit his job when he went blind. Surprisingly, he kept going to work to be with his friend. He had been able to see for over 25 years of his job, but his last five years of being a milkman, was while he was blind. He knew he couldn't ever see Joseph one way or another ever again, but still he came to work just for Joseph.

Pierre depended a lot on Joseph. Without him, Pierre would be unable to do his job. He could not read or write. Luckily he was able to get away with this. The cooks instead of following the usual custom of leaving a note in an empty bottle if an additional quart of milk was needed they would sing out when they heard the rumble of his wagon wheels over the cobbled stones of Prince Edward Street. Also Pierre had a remarkable memory. When he arrived at the stable he’d always remember to tell Jacques if people had changed their orders. Jacques would note these things in a little book he always carried. Most of the drivers had to make out the weekly bills and collect the money, but Jacques, liking Pierre, had always excused him from this task. So Pierre was lucky because of Joseph who meant everything to him. Without him he'd be nothing. For Pierre, Joseph, his best friend, was his world.

I wish the story had ended differently. Even though the end was unique, if I had written it there would be a few things I would slightly tweak. Instead of quickly going through Pierre's death, his death should have been more detailed. By more detailed I don’t mean how he looked after he gets hit by the truck, but rather feelings. It seemed as though the author rushed through the death of Pierre; things should have slowed down. A few minor differences could stir-up a whole lot of excitement. I think the ending should have consisted of Pierre's feelings as he walked across the cobbled streets, some flashbacks that had been mentioned or memories from the first few times Pierre drove Joseph. Also, strong memories of their friendship could have been displayed. The author should have set us up for the ending, given better reasons why Pierre was ready to give up his life for a horse. A strong connection and bond should have been pointed out right before the supposedly coincidental death. The sentence stating the death should have been something with a truck loudly roaring towards Pierre and then Pierre's grief all ending.  After these changes had been made, the signs of love that the author displayed could be included and then the story could have followed its original ending.

True, the story was great, but what I regretted after reading this to the end, was that this story wasn't that realistic. This story takes place in the past and no longer can be related to the present. These days no one knows the true meaning of friendship. People in the present think that once some person has been your friend for a few months, you're best friends. But, I know that's not true. I also have From moving so much and having so many friends that I thought were true and never would forget me, I now realize that they may never had been close friends with me. After a while we ended up losing contact. Meanwhile, my sister found herself a best friend for life. She still receives phone calls and party invites from her friends of her past. That's like Pierre and Joseph, but stronger, even after death they remained true friends. The continued their friendship not until death, but even after it.

"A Secret for Two" really shows the importance of friendship. After reading this we should all realize keeping a friend close is a good idea. A friend could be everything in some ones life. Friendship could even someone’s life and world. You know what they say "A flower my garden, a friend my world." A friend is something we all need, something we need at all times.