Everyone has a best friend, and at some time, a friend may move away. Both will promise to keep in touch and stay "Best friends forever", but usually friends in this situation will drift apart over time. Though most people forget their promise, sometimes best friends honor their friendship enough to put in the extra effort it takes to stay in touch for the rest of their lives.

Way back in 1996, my best friend's dad was transferred to Beijing, China. He worked for Arco Oil Company at the time, and got transferred a lot. For the last six months that my best friend, Ellen*, was here in the United States, the two of us were inseparable. My parents decided to take my family to San Antonio for the Fourth of July, which also happened to be the weekend that Ellen's* family would move. The night before my family...