BFF!

When you see some people you know that it was meant to be. I felt that when I saw you for the first time. I knew that we could be best friends for life and those miles of land in-between or years without a word uttered cannot undo it. I knew it then, but with time that faith took a beating.

I still remember the first time I saw you, my eyes were filled with tears and your mouth was curved with a smile. Irony I thought, while I cried you smiled beamingly at me. That smile made me realize the warmth in you. It felt like gentle morning sun in midst of a retreating monsoon cyclone time in east coast of India. It tingled through my skin make me feel that we were akin.

I can never forget the pride with which you introduced me to all your friends and family. You were drunk with pride and happiness, it made me so happy, but I never showed it on my face. I continued to act like I was asleep. I was naïve to understand then that I was ignoring my best friend for life.

You used to be my only playmate. I used to be your doll. I felt that it was my ceremonious duty to guard you as you cooked or rode by a bike to a nearby grocer. Irony was that you were taking care of me and not the other way round. We ate together, and spent every other second together, like Siamese twins. And the tantrums I managed to throw, oh, what a bother I was.

Then came a day when I had to leave you to stay with bunch of people dressed in the same way as me. In boring green and white pinafore and ugly ribbon too.  I was secretly happy. At last people like me. Though I love you I must mention that we didn’t look the same. You were so big (and fat) next to me. But everyone else there was crying. I didn’t know why. I thought that is why we were there. To cry! May be it was a magical procedure to please the rain Gods. Trust me, we could use some rain. Some even jumped and shouted. I watched in amazement and eventually joined them knowing nothing better to do.

Time went by, I made few other friends. You still happened to be my best or one of my best. We would have our long conversations over lunch on the sofa. Of what happened through my day. It made me feel wanted, important-center of you world at the least.

Then out of the blue you became fat, especially around your stomach. Everyone asked me to stay away from you. I thought that you were hurt, honestly! Pinkey got hurt once and her head swelled like a balloon. I thought that you were hurt on your stomach, and bad one at that. But in matter of few months it became alright. But there was a new person in the house. She was smaller than me. I like that she was smaller. But I didn’t like it that she ate into my share of the lime light.

She was messy and didn’t even walk. I went away during the day. But you both were together always. I wanted to take her with me to show her to my friends and how small she was. But you wouldn’t let me. Soon I understood that we are together forever the gang of girls.

From that day on till today, I swear, I still remember the first smile. Some say I too have it. May-be. But never as beautiful as yours….