It was a Friday morning in June when I first became best friend with Luke. It was 9:15 a.m, to be precise and happen to know exactly what time it was because I looked at my watch. I don't know why I did, because I didn't need to be anywhere by any specific time. But I believe there's a reason for everything so perhaps I checked my watch at at that time just so I could tell you my story properly. Details are important for storyline aren't they?

I was glad I met Luke that morning because I was a bit down after having to leave my old best friend, Berry. He couldn't see me anymore. But it doesn't really matter because he is happeir now and that's what's important, I suppose. Having to to leave my best friend is all part of my job. It's not a very nice part, but I believe in finding a positive side in everything, so the way I see it is , if I didn't have to leave my best friend then I won't be able to make new ones. And making new friends is my favorite part do far. That's probably why I was offered this job.

We'll get on to what my job is in just a movement but first I want to tell you about the morning I first met my best friend Luke.

I closed the gate to Barry's front garden behind me and I started walking, and for absolutely no reason at all I took the first left, then a right, then a left, went straight on for a while, took another right and I ended up beside a housing estate called Fuchsia Lane. It must have been called that because of the fuchsia growing all around the place. They grow wide here. Sorry, when I say 'here' I mean a town called Baile in gCroithe which is in country Kerry. that's in Ireland.

Baile na gCroithe somewhere along the line ended up being known in English as Hartstown, but as a direct translation from Irish it means the Town of Hearts. Which I think sounds nicer.

I was glad I ended up back here again ; I had done a few jobs here when I was starting out but hadn't returned for years. My work takes me all over the country, sometimes even overseas when my friends take me away on holidays which just go to show, no matter where you are, you always need a best friend.

Fuchsia Lane hd twelve houses, six on each side, and all were different. The cul- de-sac was really busy with lots of people buzzing about. It was a Friday morning, remember, and June too, so it was really sunny and bright and everyone was in a good mood. Well, not everyone.

There was a lot of children playing on the road, cycling, chasing, enjoying hopscotch, tip the can and loads of other stuff. You could hear the sounds of delighted screams and laughter coming from them. I suppose they were happy to be on their school holidays too. As much as they seemed really nice and all, I just wasn't drawn to them. You see I can't just make friends with anyone. That's not what my job is about.

A man was cutting the grass in his front garden, and a women tending to the flowerbed with big mucky gloves in her hands. There was a lovely smell of freshly grass and the sound of the lady snipping, clipping, cropping and pruning was like music in the air. In the next garden a men whistled a tune I wasn't fimiliar while he pointed the garden hose toward his car and watched as the soapy suds slithered down the side , revealing a new sparkle. Every now and again he whipped round and sprayed water on two little girls who were dress in yellow and black striped swimsuit. They look a big bumble bees. I love hearing them giggling so much.

In the next driveway a boy and girl were playing hopscotch. I observed them for a spell but none of them response to my interest so I kept on moving. I walked by children playing in every garden yet none of them saw me or invite me to play. People on bicycles and skateboards, and remote controlled cars were whizzing by, oblivious to me .I was beginning to think that coming to Fuchsia Lane was a bit mistake, which was rather confusing because usually I was good at choosing places and there were so many children here. I sat down on the garden wall of the last house and began to think about where I could have taken wrong turn.

After a few minutes, I came to the conclusion that I was at the right area after all. I very rarely take wrong turns. I spun on my backside to face the house behind the garden wall. There was no house behind the garage so I sat and studied the house. it had two storeys and a garbage with an expensive car parked outside the glistened in the sun. A plaque on the garden wall beneath me said' fuchsia House', and the house had blooming Fuchsia climbing up the wall, clinging to the brown bricks over the front door and reaching all the way up to the roof. It looked pretty. fractions of the house had brown bricks and other sections had been painted a Honey colour. Some of the windows were square and the others were circles. It was really unusual. It had a fuchsia- coloured front door with two long windows with frosted glass in the top two panels , a huge brass knocker and letter box beneath', it's looks like two eyes, a nose and a month smiling at me. I waved and smiled back just in case. Well, you can be too sure these days.

Just as I was studying the face of the front door, it opened and was shammed shut rather loudly or angrily by a boy who come running outside. He had a big red fire engine in his right hand and a police car him his left hand. I love the fire engine', they were my favorite. The boy jumped off the front step of the porch and run to the grass where he skidded to his knees. He got grass stain all down his black tracksuit bottoms, which made me laugh, grass stain are so much fun because they never come out. My old friend Berry and I used to slide all of the time. Anywhere, the little boy started crashing hi fire engine against his police car and making all this noise with his mouth. He was good at that noises. Berry and I always used to do that too. it's fun pretending to do the things that don't usually happens in real life.

The boy rammed the police car into the real fire engine and the head fire man, who was clinging to the ladder at the side of the truck, slid off. I love out louded and the boy looked up.

He actually look me. Right into the eyes.

' Hi,' I said , nervously cleaning my throat and shifting from one foot to the other. I was wearing my favorite blue canverse runners and they still had grass strain on the white rubber tips from when Berry and I went sliding. I started to run the rubber tips against the brick wall to try to scrape it off and thought about what to say next. As much as making friends is my favorite things to do I still get a bit of nervous about it. There's always that scary chance that people won't like me and it's give me the collywobbles. I've been lucky so far but it would be silly to presume that the same thing will happen same time.

' Hi, ' the boy replied, fixing the fire man onto the ladder .

' what's your name?' I asked, kicking my foot against the wall on front of me and scraping the rubber tips. The grass stains will won't come off.

The boy studied me for a while, look me up and down though trying to decide whether to tell me his name or not. This is part of my job I absolutely loathe. it's tough wanting to be my friends with someone and them not wanting the same back. That happen sometime but in the end they always comes round because, weather they know it or not, they want me to be there.

The boy had white brown - hair and big blue eyes. I knew his face from somewhere but couldn't quite think where.

Finally he spoke.' my name's Luke. what's yours?'

I shoved my hand deep into my pockets and concentrate on kicking my right foot against the garden wall. I was making parts of the bricks crumble and fall to the ground. without looking at him I said, ' Ivan'.

' Hi, Ivan,' he smiled. He had no front teeth.

' Hi', Luke', I smiled back.

I have all mine.

' I liked your fire engine. My best ---- my old best friend Berry used to have one just like it and we used to play with it all the time. it's got a stupid name, though, because it can't drive through fire because it's melt,' I explained, still keeping my hands shoved into my pockets, causing my shoulders to hunch up past my ears. it made things a little quieter so I took my hands out of my pocket just so I could hear what Luke was saying.