@Dedicated to:
❤️Faria - for asking me to write this OS and I'm sorry hun it took so long
❤️Nikki, Jiya & Vasu - for the enthusiasm and interest
~ Sunshine cannot bleach the snow, Nor time unmake what poets know ~
As I stepped out of my house, the beautiful winter scenery welcomed me. The blanket of snow had covered everything in my visible range, making my neighbourhood look so serene. Even more snow was descending down from the sky ever so softly. Children, bundled up in their snow suits, were running around involved in all sorts of activities. Some were making snowman, some making snow forts, some having a snowball fight, some were even tobogganing from the little hill located at the end of the block. As I dragged my feet through the knee high snow on the ground, I heard their laughter echoing through the road and like on every snow day, my thoughts went back to the first time I met you.
You were 6, I was 5. My family had just moved into your apartment building. It was the December holidays and I woke to a snowy morning like today. There was about 30 cm of snow and I was probably the only one in the house who was really excited about it. Papa was complaining about how bad the traffic is going to be as he got ready for work. Mumma was not happy as she had to go to the grocery store through this horrible weather. Uday Bhaiya was sad that he would not be able to go to his friend's house to play on the newest videogame system and Gunjan, well she was too young to care. I quickly got ready, to my mother's surprise; she has rarely seen me with this much energy in the morning. After putting on my snowsuit, I took the elevator down and made my way to the building park, which consisted of swings, monkey bars, slides and a lot of ground. There was no one except a boy my age, you. I looked at you but you were busy building a snow fort. I waddled my way through the snow to where you were standing. Giving my biggest smile, I asked "Can I play with you too?"
You turned back to look at me and gave me an odd look. "NO!," you said as you turned around to get back to your snow fort.
I was shocked for I've never faced rejection in my short little life before, "Why?"
"Because you are a girl!" you said almost immediately and turned around.
"So?"
"I don't play with girls'they cry for every little thing," you taunted without looking at me. I was terribly mad. I don't cry for every little thing and no one has ever been this ignorant with me, considering I was the first girl child in all of my extended family.
I bent down and picked up some snow. You were walking towards the slide probably to get more snow for your fort. THUD! The snowball that I had launched at you had found its target. "Ouch! What was that for?"
"For being mean to me." I said and walked back towards the building.
You caught up with me and stood in front of me, so that we were face to face. You looked at me and I just stood there pondering what you were going to do. Suddenly, you just smiled at me. I was really confused by your reaction, for a minute, I had even wondered if the snowball had made its way through the ears to your brain and frozen it. Next minute, "Sorry!" you said holding your ears. When I didn't budge, you placed your hand on your heart and said, "Dil se sorry. And wow! That was so cool! I never met a girl who could throw like that"
Your dimpled smile and the compliment was not something my young brain could resist any longer and so I finally smiled. "Thanks"
"My name is Mayank, what's yours?"
"Nupur"
"Nupur, let's have a snowball fight!" Before we knew it, we were running around the park, picking up any snow we could and throwing at each other. Most of the times, we missed because we were running around but we didn't care.
"Nupur, come up. It's time for lunch!" Mama called me from our balcony, which looked down into the park.
"Okay, I got to go," I turned to say bye to you.
"Nupur, Friends?" you asked putting your hand forward.
"Forever!" I said as I put my hand in yours.That was the day we had sworn to be friends, friends forever. Next few years, I spent my every waking moment with you. We went to the same school, we had the same set of friends, we went to the same extracurricular activities and even when at home, we were together, at your house or mine. Our parents had become the best of friends thank to us and so we celebrated almost every holiday and occasion together. With the onset of our teenage years, things started changing a bit in our peer circle but not our friendship. We still remained the best of friends and shared everything with each other from daily incidents to our latest crush. There were rumours that we were together, as in a couple, but we ignored it because we knew it wasn't true and it didn't matter to us what people thought. Life was perfect, just perfect!
It was in the summer before Grade 12 that our little perfect world suddenly shattered. By that time, everyone at school knew about us. They had accepted our relationship as it was, though there was the occasional question of whether we were friends or couple. I still remember I had come to your house to talk about the plan for the weekend and no one else was home. I came into your bedroom to find you sprawled on the bed on your tummy.
"Get up, you lazy bum," I said slapping on your arms and made my self comfortable on your bed. You lazily sat up and I knew something was wrong.
"What's wrong Mayank?" You looked at me closely for a second and then spoke.
"Dad got transferred to California. We have to leave in a couple of weeks." I was terribly shocked. I had never expected this. After having you by my side for 12 years, it had never occurred to me that you might leave me one day.
"So you are moving?"
"Yeah, I don't want to and I tried to reason with Dad but he said the decision is final and he can't do anything." Suddenly, my perfect little world broke. I sat down beside you on your bed. We didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. It was like we both needed some time to digest this news.
"Sorry"
"Why are you saying sorry? It's not your fault. But promise me, you'll keep in touch with me. Promise you won't ever forget me."
"I promise"
"When do you have to leave?"
"At the end of July."
"So we have only 3 weeks left. Let's make a list of all our favourite things and make most of the time we have left." And that's what we did for the rest of July. We visited our school and school grounds, where we had spent immense amount of time playing. We went to our favourite mall, and ate our favourite Super Kid cone ice-cream at our favourite ice-cream parlour. We played all our favourite sports: basket-ball, soccer, and even Cricket. We rented all our favourite movies and camped out in my basement watching. We sat there and watched all our home-videos, teasing each other about it. We had even gone out for drives at night, using Aunty's car. Then the night before you left, we went to the place where we met for the first time. I guess we both tried to put off going there until we couldn't anymore. It was completely deserted. For a couple of minutes, we just sat in the swings silently. Your cell rang, it was Shilpa Aunty, calling you as it was getting late and you had to leave early in the morning. You told her you'll be coming soon and hung up. We exchanged a glance and you got up to go back to the car, but I didn't move.
"Nupur, it's time to'"
"I know, it's time to say good-bye'," the tears I was holding until now started coming out. "You are leaving me na Mayank? You promised Mayank that you would always be there for me. You promised we'd go through senior year together. You promised that we would go to the Winter Festival Dance in Grade 12 together. You promised that we would sit together on graduation. You promised we'll go to the same university. You promised." I broke down crying. Like every time I had cried in the past, your hands touched my shoulder.
"Nupur'," I got up and shook your hand off but you pulled me back and we stood there, hugging. I broke the hug only when I felt tear drops on my shoulder. You were crying. In these 12 years I knew you, you never cried. Suddenly it occurred to me, though I would miss you like crazy, everything else in my life would still be the same but you were leaving everything, everything that you've known all your life. I felt like a selfish idiot for breaking down in front of you when my friend needed me the most. I wiped my eyes and looked at you, you were trying to do the same. I pulled you again into a hug and we stood there. I let go of you and wiped your tears.
"It's okay, it'll all be fine. We don't live in the Stone Age'there are so many ways for us to keep in touch through: email, phone calls, Skype, Facebook, msn. It will still be like we are together. Mayank, you better keep in touch. If you don't, I'll personally come down there, chop you into pieces and feed you to the fish in the Pacific Ocean. Got it?"
"Got it." You smiled weakly. We walked back to the car and drove back home.
"Nupur, if you stay after school for long then get Uncle or Uday to pick you up and promise me that you won't ever use the short-cut?"
"Promise". We arrived at my house and you parked the car. We sat in there for awhile, not knowing what to do. Your phone alarm buzzed and we noticed it was really 10pm; you had to be home soon. So we got out of the car and stood at the driveway of my house.
"Here, I want you to have this," you shoved something in my hand and I opened it. It was the little bracelet, I had once wanted but couldn't get. There was something engraved on it:
Mayank.
"It's beautiful," I managed to say though tears were ready to come out any second.
"Where is my gift?" you asked to lighten the mood.
"Why should I give you a gift? You are leaving me na?" I tried to sound happy.
"Really? Then what is in this bag?" you asked pointing to the bag I had brought along with me. I just took out my gift and gave it to you. One was a scrapbook of photos, from the day we met to that point. Another was a key chain with a similar engraving:
For my Best Friend Mayank,
Nupur.
"Did you make this scrapbook?" I nodded.
"Thanks, it's the best gift I've ever got" Your alarm buzzed again.
"I guess it's time," you nodded and we moved closer and hugged. I didn't want to let you go because if I did then I don't know when I would have my best friend by my side next. You didn't either.
"I'll miss u"
"I'll miss u too! Don't ever change! Ok?" I nodded still hugging you.
BEEP! Uday Bhaiya's car had turned into the corner of our street and we broke from the hug. Uday Bhaiya soon came out of the car and walked up to us.
"Hey Mayank! Nupur"
"Hi Uday!"
"Here to say good-bye?" you nodded, "Good luck with everything Dude! And do keep in touch!"
"Sure" and he hugged you.
"I should get going. Good bye Nupur!" you said and gave me a quick hug.
"Good bye Mayank!" you got into your car and left. I stood there watching your car disappear from my view. I couldn't help anymore and I started crying. Uday Bhaiya hugged me and took me in.
It had been more than five years since that night. On the professional front, I was a very good student and had become a successful computer engineer at one of the leading telecommunication companies. Coincidentally, you had done the same program and held a similar position at one of the leading companies in your place. But on the personal front, I was not myself anymore. I felt some emptiness in myself in these 5 years. Though I was among friends and family, I felt like I was lost. It was like some part of me was missing.
During these five years, we had kept in contact but were never able to meet in person. Your mother had visited twice and you had visited once but unfortunately, I was out of town on a study abroad program during that time. Though you had wished me/consoled me on my happy/sad occasions, I missed you at each moment of my life. I know you did too. I wished you had been there in person to share my happiness or to wipe off that tear or just there to share my life.
Part 2 on Page 3
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