When I Met My Friend

 “Please try and think over it. Don’t you think it’s the perfect chance to meet?” Priti said in a persuading manner and ended the call. I too was dying to see her. It had been four and a half years that we had met last. She is my childhood buddy and we have been great friends since 2nd standard. My family had shifted to Punjab from Himachal Pradesh and therefore we could only speak on phone. Four years had passed and we both had joined college for higher studies. I took admission in Patiala and she went to New Delhi. We had been making plans to reunite but every time some hindrance would be there and things wouldn’t fall on their place and plan would be postponed to ‘next time’. But this time we considered the opportunity seriously.

It was March 2012, she had a week long break and en route to H.P she was going to spend a day at Ambala at her relatives’ place and that was where we could meet. She told me about the plan and asked if I could manage to come there. But I didn’t have any break nor did I have a merciful schedule. It was a tough call to skip a day’s class with all important lectures but I also knew that it was a golden opportunity and I might be busier ‘next time’. So I decided to skip classes and lab and cancel all the work plans for that day and told my parents about the plan and they were all cool about it. My father was going to come with me as I had never been to Ambala before.

Enthusiasm in me had hit the highest point. I was waiting for those two days to pass quickly. I was thoughtful as to what should I gift to her. I took my scooty and drove to the finest Gift Gallery and started browsing the shop. After twenty minutes I finally found the perfect gift- a cute little idol of Lord Ganesha. After coming back home I took a piece of chart paper and thought of making a greeting card for her. Though I am not very good at drawing and painting and it had been years that I last made any card or something but I still gave it a try. After an hour when I was finished with the writing and decoration part and looked at it, it gave the impression of being more of a huge letter and less of a card (ha-ha). Anyway, I kept the things safely in my room. Next day after returning from college I started doing preparations for the next day- ‘day of reunion’. I called her up at night and asked about the timing, location and all. We were all thrilled. “When unable to find each other, you’ll say I am wearing green and I’ll say I am wearing red and I am at this corner of the market and then there would be some song playing in background and we’ll run towards each other in slow motion in filmy style”, she said in a jokey manner. Keeping her words in mind I wore green to surprise her. I used to feel lonely as there was no close friend in college during those initial days but that day my face was glowing with the inner cheerfulness that this get-together had brought; I had a big smile while on the way to Ambala.

I was wondering if she would be feeling the same way or it was only me who was super-excited. Yes, she too was counting seconds. Her constant messages were the clear evidence. Finally, we reached the place and waited for her to come and take me along. She arrived after few minutes and we greeted each other. After that father and I decided to meet up at the same place in the evening and he went. Priti and I continued towards the place where she was residing then. We were behaving very formally which was quite unusual. That moment was a blend of excitement plus unease. May be, this was the effect of meeting after so long. There was so much we wanted to say to each other but none of us could utter a single word and we were just smiling and laughing. Actually, we weren’t able to believe that this was happening in reality. We reached the house and she introduced me to everyone. We sat over there and talked about the past and all the beautiful times in childhood and all the fun and mischief. The songs we used to sing together, how we used to start laughing in between during the English class, our amazing teachers, about my last day at school, about crushes, about all our friends and the gang that we six friends had etc etc. The moment of awkwardness was over and we were enjoying the time together. I presented her the things that I had brought for her and she said she loved it. We, then, went to the room she was staying in. The discussion shifted to more mature subjects; how things changed after I left school and how we struggled to manage at the new places, the difficulties in life, the rising level of competition and much more. But we raised each other's spirits and tried to give the solution to problems we were facing. We had our lunch and after talking for some ‘hours’ we went to market (Girls will be girls :D ). Since both of us were unfamiliar with the city, we were walking here and there on the streets. She told me how she manages in a big city all alone and all the lovely and caring friends that she has made, how life would be different if I too had joined her college. The neat and clean roads of the city made us like the walking and talking thing. She said that I looked the same just like 4.5 years back and I told her that she looked prettier.

The time for me to leave was coming nearer. We went back and I took my bag to go. She gave me a pack of chocolates and a hand-written note. That was overwhelming. We hugged and I said a good-bye to everyone. She accompanied me to the bus-stand. My father had already come there. Priti and I looked at each other and promised to meet-up again soon. She went and we came back to Patiala.

I was wishing for the day to come to a standstill. It was certainly a day to remember. It shaped-up exactly how we had planned; smooth, charming, exciting and emotional. Although there are multiple sources through which we are in regular touch but still I get nostalgic today when I recall that meeting. This was how I met my friend.

(P.S – We will keep busy all our lives no matter what. Learn to take out time to talk to friends, old or new. Don’t always wait for the other one to take the first step. Try and be in touch and keep the bond healthy  :) )