“Opposites Attract…”

“Birds of a feather flock together…”

Oxymoronic periphrases these are! 

I wonder why the first one was invented…for we always look for commonalities in the person before you. Some say their frequencies or wavelengths match…or some simply say they get along well…

I was walking by our usual ‘chaat’ stall, when a pair of girls caught my attention. They reminded of the endless times Shivani and me would go out to eat there. Masala Puri’s..and the ice candies, licked on our way back. As if it was a ritual! All along our way, we would laugh like maniacs over any foolish or seemingly not-so-amusing-things…the hours spent together would fly by as fast as possible…A pebble kicked all the way back, where it’d find itself in a totally different locality! Or a flower turned into a finger ring! Or simply worn in hear, to adorn her -oh-my-god-frizzy hair, or my so-very-straight..or! 😉

The way her eyes would water at the very first puri, she’d pop in.. The uncontrollable urge of laughing at the person standing just a shoulder aside, would eventually spoil her tempo of digesting the VERY SPICY masala puri! On the other hand, I would merrily munch on the extra spicy ones, which I believe would turn her into a dragon! It’d often happen, that I’d get a puri or two extra from her plate, after inability to struggle through beyond the half of it! Secretly, I would always hope her dish turns out to be a bit spicy, and I could pop in some extra puri’s! 

The laughter of two girls got me back into reality… I carelessly muttered a few random things, only to realise that Shivani was not around! I looked around, and felt bewildered. It struck me then, she was miles away…five and a half hours behind this moment I just lived..and yet to experience this feeling!

It pained a little inside, to see those two girls so happy and joking and mocking each other! Stealing bits from each other’s plates. Spilling some bites on the floor while fighting for a spoonful. I wanted to be in their place, enjoying those moments spent with my darling friend. For once I wanted to relive that stingy hour we sneaked out of studies during our university exams. Ignorant of the following days, having to wake up in each other’s absence…

It just plain hurts!

I can’t cry, for my sane self knows she deserves to earn a good education abroad…and reminding myself time and again that she doesn’t have Tanvi besides her either.. She tells me she’s happy and puts up her smily pictures with her new friends. I burn a little inside with jealousy, envy those who get to spend more time with her, than me. I am this little possessive child within me, who is so not ready to share her with anyone. But deep inside , I know she misses me all the same. I could never own up this feeling of void to anyone. They might not be able to understand the bond. 

We, over the fifteen odd years together, have created memories in all the minutest particles around. The book she lend me..The plate of pohe I am munching on to, which she dearly hated! The door that created a Hi(larious)story…The innumerable puppies we played with..yet she’d be terribly afraid of the one in my family.. the pile of movie CD’s we would watch over and over again, being ‘clueless’, yet hoping for ‘A Cinderella Story’ for ourselves! In spite of watching these flicks over and over again since ages, we watched it again during our night out at Marriott! Sneaking out the stuff from the fridge.. the treasure hunt that took forever.. and the late night talks that lasted the morning that followed.. so much to be talked of, and so little time.. It indeed was the most intimate and lovely night! Yeh! Intimate indeed! We became all the more closer to each other by the thought of separation! IT hurt back then as well.. The treasure hunt list now lies carelessly on my softboard, unwilling to come down. Her 21st B’day celebration with endless clues put Tanu off to sleep.. We had managed to bribe her for a nightout, inspite of her exam the following day! But it had kept the two of us wide awake, not leaving any stone unturned in that beautifully decorated room of Marriott! 

I was scandalised looking at the bathroom though. But what would have I done without you sitting outside threatening to open the idiotic door? Singing songs at the top of my lungs, into that pouring shower, literally created a mark in my mind and body! For I fell onto the floor without knowing how my foot slipped. I can still smell the lemon grass soap in my mind when I remember that fall.. The bottle cap went missing. But to no avail! An adventure in itself! Thankfully the fall wasn’t too awkward.. I just can’t control my laughter, as I type the moment, which you were oblivious to!  

Like these and many more moments call me closer to them. Travelling back in time,and live them all over again. From the beginning. So that, I would get a chance to be your friend right after stepping in, into this beautiful world. The world which turned all the more beautiful, after knowing you! I am deeply gratified by the fact that our houses are just up and down the same lane! But on our way this tamarind tree seem to lure me, by it’s ‘amrit jal’ hanging around..waiting for me to taste it.. Is it my mood or have they really turned sour since you left?

These days, the lows of missing you have started visiting me less frequently… My mind says it’s a good sign to stay happy.. But my heart fears to have moved on a bit.. A tiny lifetime in your absence..where I am my own friend. Picking up the lonely flower..