I love my best friends Aza, Madhura and Roohiya a lot.
I realise the worth of true friends this year.
Life is too unexpected. Seriously.
Oh, I was remembering New Year's Day this year. Good times man. How we watched the countdown. How we sat in Aza's balcony at 11.34 p.m. and discussed the life that lay before us. How things would change. How we swung on her swings at the terrace at 1.23 pm. How we drank coke and laughed. How we lay next to each other on the mattresses Aza's mother put out on the terrace. How we woke up, sweating because the 10 am sun was blazing down on us. How Aza pinched me for waking her up. How sweaty I had become due to my satin pyjamas. How Roohiya groaned. How Madhura turned red. How everything ended. How we went home. How we went to different JCs. How we meet just once a week now.
I have never met a nicer bunch of people in my whole life. Seriously. I remember how I had once casually mentioned that they weren't my best friends, just very good friends. I had said I had too high expectations. They sat me down for an hour and asked me what they had done. They were hurt. They actually cared about what I thought of them. They cared. I affected them. Someone cared if I fell dead that day. I felt treasured. I knew that day, that these three people would be there for me. No matter what.
Such reassurances are so important for one's emotional well being. Do you remember in 2005, when we were in Sec2? When it was mid may and the trees lining the school slope began to drop pink flowers on us. We pretended that it was snow and we stuffed each other's shirts with those sweet smelling (but sticky and rather gross) flowers? How we squealed? How we always shared our lunches? How we said shut up and nobody minded? How we always understood? How we fought and somehow came out of each one, stronger and more accepting? How each of us changed for the better under the influence of the group. How we helped each other fight the personal battles of the heart, how we stood up for each other, how we cheered for each other at school events, how we always felt happy catching each other at the corridors.
Guys, I miss you and even though I don't see you everyday, I miss you and will always treasure all the times we spent in school together. I love you guys and am looking forward to another saturday. Another saturday with nonsense like insulting each other with random hindi idioms. Yup, I am looking forward to it already.
See you then, ARM.
