Instant friends forever on this journey of life
On the very first day as I entered the staffroom, a smiling genial soul walked up, “Hello, I’m Seema Gupta. I’m from Ambala, too. Where do you live?” “Rani Bagh.” “Great, I live in Raja Park. We’ll commute together.”
This common strand laid the foundation stone of our friendship and we embarked on a journey together. She was waiting for me at the stop and tutored me on which bus to board, and which to avoid.
Together we learnt many a life lessons. As commuters, we followed a routine. Every morning, the same time same bus. One fine day, the conductor took the money and did not give us the ticket. He just smiled at our reminders. She got nervous and as luck would have it, our bus was stopped for checking. The mischievous conductor walked nonchalantly to the officer, pointed towards us ‘my sisters’ and we went scot-free. Innocent dumb fools, we did not expose him but the next morning she called me to inform that we will board the earlier bus and save ourselves any further embarrassment.
Another time, a checker asked for tickets and she handed them over from her purse. These are old ones, remarked the gentleman. She gave another set, these too are old said the officer in an irritated, raised tone. She fished out a handful of tickets and thrust them in his waiting palm, much to the amusement of fellow passengers. The harried officer went ahead muttering.
As life went on, we reached many a milestone almost simultaneously. We got married, had children and our bond strengthened over the years. Each day, we gossip our hearts away on anything to everything under the sun. We have gossiped about almost everyone: Our in-laws, our husbands, our children, our colleagues and what not. Pouring our heart out, shedding a little tear, we are set to face the challenges of life.
While she is settled in Jagadhri postmarriage, I’m still on the move. It goes without saying that she will fulfil all social obligations on my behalf. Many a times, she would present ‘shagun’ and inform me later on. While I was on fellowship, she made all contributions by default. Since she has married a chartered accountant, it is obligatory for her to remind me to submit the income tax documents, collect Form 16 from the college and file my return. Somehow, we have never settled scores for what she did for me or what I did for her.
What makes us gel for so long? Only God knows! You meet a person and it just clicks. Friendship just grows; it matures with each passing moment. We take things for granted and seldom reminisce on how long we have traversed the journey of life. To quote Paulo Coelho: Friendship isn’t a big thing, it’s a million little things.
WE HAVE GOSSIPED ABOUT ALMOST EVERYONE: OUR IN-LAWS, OUR HUSBANDS, OUR CHILDREN, OUR COLLEAGUES. POURING OUR HEART OUT, SHEDDING A LITTLE TEAR, WE’RE SET TO FACE THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE