For a friend and then some more friends…

Friends…what do I say about them…they have made me laugh, they have been there for me through thick and thin and yes, they have let me down too. Just when you think everything is good, you have one of those moments.

I have been always pretty popular among my friends, and I make friends pretty easily too…I have always found it very easy to talk to new people but am also one of those who don’t get close to a person very easily, thus I have friends and then some. Since my school days and till now, when am a mother of too, a lot of faces have been part of me, and each and every face has given me lots of love, laughter, and also some sorrows.

Even before the Facebook and the orkut era, I somehow managed to be in touch with my friends from college and high school, but then when you move on with life and it’s responsibilities, you do tend to loose touch with some, and however much you want, you cannot keep up.

Such is one of my friend, whom I always remembered, and always thought how nice it would be to see and to talk to her, hear her and to laugh with her. In the past whenever I would go to India, I would want to go knock on her mom’s door and see what she is up to and how and where she is. Through social networking I have found a lot of my old classmates but not her.

And this last India trip, don’t know what came into my mind, on my way back home from some place, I asked the driver to turn around and go to the neighborhood where she used to live, not remembering, which exactly was her house, since with time the houses had changed, the bungalows had changed, many new had come up.

But gathering my courage and leaving my family in the car, I knocked on a door which looked familiar, and a teenage girl greeted me and looked at me, as to what this stranger is doing here, and then with sheer feeling of embarrassment I gathered the courage and asked her, “is this the house of….”, and the teenager in turn interrogated me as to who I was?

I told her haltingly, I am Rashmi a friend of……., does she know her, and then she called her grandfather. And one look at the gentleman, I knew I was at the right doorstep. With renewed enthusiasm I explained the situation to him, and told him my maiden name, to jog his memory of me from the past. Almost after twenty odd years, there was nothing similar left to my old identity especially when in those days I had short cropped hair, and a very slim frame…I know few of you might be giggling now.

But as usual my maiden name did the trick since they knew me more from that then my given name since their daughter and me shared our first name. Uncle welcomed me and told me about my friend, and I asked him where was aunty, and he told she was out, but gave me the directions to where she was, insisting I see her. I went o the park where a group of ladies were sitting, and for a second, couldn’t recognize the face, and then it stuck me, and all the memories came back of his loving, gentle woman came back, who had given so much love and affection to us.

I said hi, and waited for her to recognize me , but after a split second said, my name, the slow gleam of familiarity spread into her eyes and then she smiled at me, what beautiful smile. she hugged me and was so happy to see me, in fact she told all her other friends about me and how I used to come and spend time with her.

It was such a pleasant and refreshing feeling to reconnect with another gem of the past. Aunty invited me for tea, which regretfully I had to decline, she walked over to see my family in the car, blessed me and then I had to leave her, but by then I had the number and quite a few details of my friend in the current state of life.

Next morning, I called the number given, and waited to hear the familiar voice, not knowing exactly what she would think of this call and also was not sure how she would react. Would she be as reciprocative of my reaching out to her, or would she be least bothered, but my worries were short lived, after mistaking me for her two others friends, she finally connected the dots and she was as happy and excited as I was and as warm as I remembered her.

In the past I have had this experience where the person connected does not make an effort to be in touch, and one feels like a little bit of a fool, as to why did one made all the efforts But not this time, it did not happen, my friend made me proud, and our friendship proud, she called me back, she kept in touch and she filled my heart with the warmth, she is famous for.

 Can’t wait for my next India trip, for a cup of tea at her mom’s place with her.