guys, friendship is serene,
in its absence would life be so green ?
everyone needs a secret keeper,
skeletons in closet are his to revel,
everyone needs a secret keeper.
a friend who would correct your vice,
in rain of grief he would hold umbrella of advice,
mates, friendship is so serene,
in its absence would life be so green ?
Beta : Friendship
July, 2003.
College was not like what I had dream about. It was not even close to what they showed in movies. The subjects were surreal, lecturers crap and classmates either uptight townies or passive aggressive topper from vernacular schools. The situation at home, meaning my uncles place where I was staying was not better either. Aunt would complain about her being made to cook more food, cousin would behave as if I was trespassing their privacy, Uncle acted as if he was spending all his dime on me.
I kept myself at college at all time. Attended lectures when they were there, kept myself at library till it closed, walked back to home as slowly as could.
Usually I would be first to class and would occupy the first bench without bothering about who sat beside me, but it so happened one day about a month since the college started, that I was late. So late that lecture had almost started and there were almost no seat left.
Luckily I found Anil who motioned me to come and squeeze with him and other guy he was sharing the bench with. Anil introduced me to Lalit, who belonged to vernacular section of my school. They were discussing about bunking rest of the lecture to play some computer game. I for one, never had played any game on computer and was not in mood to bunk lectures anyway. I tried to concentrate on lecture but given not so perfect vision and fact that I was sitting pretty back in 120 sitter classroom, I could neither see the board clearly, nor hear anything that could enlighten me as to what was actually going on. At the end of lecture the two amigo's pulled me with them out of college. I tried to reason them but they just dragged me to Anil's home. And then began the season of Anil, lalit and I, hanging out in the duplex atop the tallest building in nerul, which was as Anil always described it, 'his folks place'.
Between three of us, I was out of place, I always knew sooner or latter, I would drop from the group. It took two months, a unit test result, an accepted proposal, more problem back at my home and water park trip for the three musketeer to get reduced to mismatch couple. It did not happen the way I foresaw, I mean who could have. Lalit failed in test, was to use the term he used, 'grounded' by his parents. Anil proposed his crush, she was not sure but was ready to go an a date, they did and the gaming master was now glued to telephone and not computer. This added to Lalit not being much around. Then came the water-kingdom trip. A day before the the trip, Anil finished his usual jibber-jabber with his girlfriend, hanged the phone back onto the wall, standing on the frame of french window that connected balcony and his bedroom, he looked and me and in unusually casual tone commented, " I know why you are not coming."
'sorry?'
'I know why you don't want us to go to water-kingdom.'
I put down the borrowed copy of Harry Potter and The goblet of fire, looked directly at him and said apologetically, ' you can go. I don't want to come ?'
'waha akale jake kya karu? hilau?' (what should I do alone there ? masturbate?)
'Half the class in going there. You are not alone'
'So are thousand other people going to come there, but I don't know them either'
'I cannot come.' I repeated.
'I know why !' he said emphatically. Like he was giving some solution.
'And how does you guessing why I do not want to come for the trip helps?' I wondered aloud. I was really having no clue what he thought was the reason for me not coming. I had by now given a dozed different excuses to others for not coming. My lips curled into a one-sided smile anticipating that he might now try to give solution to some imaginary problem I had created for not coming.
'I will pay for your trip.' He said casually, moving to the grill he rested his weight on it and with a questioning gaze asked me, 'what do you say?'
The smile had turned into frown, I knew by now the stress lines on forehead would be visible, I did not know if I was embarrassed by my situation or his preposition, or I was just plainly disappointing at not being able to conceal my situation and maybe just scared of exactly how many people knew this.
'Thou shalt always stick to one excuse' He said like some actor from some Shakespearean play. Not that I had seen any Shakespearean play, but I always imagined actors in some specific tone and I thought he nailed it. I tried to smile, I guessed I failed.
'You know you have to give some response.' He said, moving the bang of hair back, the breeze kept pushing them to front.' Right ?' He emphasized.
'I don't know.' I said defensively. It was really a honest reply. I did not know what to say. I did not even know what he was offering. Was he loaning me money ? or was he just paying for me? did he realize that maybe I could not pay him back ever ? or did he have something else in his mind.
'You don't have to pay me back.'
'aare, you don't have to do such thing.'
'My parents don't care. All I have to do is ask them for money, they won't even ask what its for.'
'I don't know dude.'
'Just say yes!' He said, eyes twinkling.
'Ok.'
'Now that's like a good boy.' He said with a clap.
'But why ?' I had to ask.
I smiled, when he said, 'What are friends for.'
<<Prev Next>>
