It was 7 months and 5 days ago. They had been done with their last conversation. Shilpa sat by her kitchen table and gazed into the night sky. The breeze sent chills down her spine and the truth that now stared in her face.
It seemed like only yesterday that Anjali and she were shopping at the new Pluto Mall in the city. They'd shopped for a whooping 18,000 bucks in all, celebrating their first paychecks. Exhausted, they dragged themselves to the food court and helped themselves to a sumptuous lunch. Just out of impulse, the giggling duo dumped thier bags in the car, pulled up inox and went to "Dhoom". How they came out with the oohs and aahs about John Abraham! That was almost 2 years ago. A tear dropped onto Shilpa's hand now.
She got up from the table and went to drain the coffee- it had grown too cold, with the window open. As she turned on the tap, the smilie on the wall reminded of her of a sunndy sunday afternoon, not more than a year and a half ago.
Anjali had knocked on Shilpa's door on a sunday afternoon and when there was no response, she'd begun to bang and the neighbour came and yelled at her to be quiet. After a minute Shilpa had come hair all ruffled and kajal spread under her eyes, "Oh, its you! I thought it was Lata aunty.." Anjali could not believe Shilpa was sleeping in the afternoon.. "Moron, what the hell are u doing in your bedroom?! Dont tell me you have some guy in there!" "Oh shut up yaar! I'll get you a lime or something" By the time shipa had got the lime ready, Anjali was in her bedroom, spread newspapers on the floor, arranged for water and colours from Shilpa's drawers and turned the AC on.. all set! Shilpa was horror stricken and asked as quietly as she could, "Just what in the world do you think you are doin?" "Come on, monkey.. that's your bit.. just over there.. We are making smilies for Anu, Parth and other children in your layout.." (She was referring to the street children in that locality) 1 hour from then, the floor of the room was filled with little perfect smilies smiling at them in bright yellow. The next day, after giving all of them a smilie each to pin on their clothes, the girls decided to keep one each for themselves.. The one smiling at Shilpa from above the kitchen sink was the one from that sunday afternoon.
The memory hit Shilpa like a cold knife through her chest. She wiped away that drop of tear that was about to drop form the tip of her nose. She shut the window and switched off the lights in the kitchen. She walked to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, facing the open window. As a light breeze blew, she could hear a tinkling as the wind chime Anjali had given her for her last birthday danced to the breeze.
When they had shopped one evening for a friend's birthday present, Shilpa had found the chime in a store and said she liked it a lot and will buy it the next they visit the store. Many visits later also, the chime lay forgotten. Then on her birthday, Anjali gave Shilpa a gift wrapped in yellow-gold paper. And as Shilpa unwrapped it, she found to her amazement and wonder the same wind chime that she'd liked in the store but forgot about it for months. How she was moved! She gave Anjali a tight hug and unspoken words were understood in that minute.Just as she came out of the reverie, the chime clinked again.
Exactly 7 months and 5 days ago, that ugly scene came up in the canteen. A little misunderstanding grew into a feud. Shilpa and Anjali, known across campus as the bestest of friends got up from their seats, and glared at each other. In not mroe than 10 minutes from then, the whole canteen stood and watched as the friends grew miles apart- right before their eyes. They stopped short of laying hands on each other's collars. And since then, they had not spoken a word to each other. Each waited for the other to make the first move. And the move was never made...
And there, on her table, by candlelight, now sat a lone bit of paper, fluttering under the weight of a cell phone. The bit of paper that tore away a part of Shilpa's life, the bit that took away what Shilpa held closest to her heart. The cell phone beeped to life with a new message and the backgorund shone bright- two laughing girls sitting on a seashore.. Anjali and Shilpa. The message was from Riya. Shilpa opened the message and read what she already knew from the telegram: "Hi, I thought you should know.. Anjali is no more" Shilpa slid to the floor, weak and trembling. She clutched the cell close to her heart and tonight she didnt hold back, she didnt fight anymore. She hugged her knees and cried. And this time, she knew that the most comforting shoulders in the world are gone. Gone without saying goodbye.
A gust of wind blows out the candle just as it blows the telegram outside the window...
The First Move
I'll tell you 'wassup'..!!
Hey.. Wassup?!
That, by far, is the most irritating question in the world as a general rule and more so when one specifically wants to be left alone!! OK, I can understand if long lost frens catch up sometime, that seems the most obvious question... Or, if one bumps into an acquaintence around the corner.
What exactly do people mean by "wassup?" when it's probably been 1 hour and 22 minutes since one last met them? NO, seriously.. wat do they mean?! What can possibly be up? Assuming 'nothing is up', one might venture safely to say "hey, nuthing much, buddy.. just lazing around, you know.." and BAM! The next most inevitable and jarringly stupid question is flung at you "So.. what else is up with you?" EH? One is pushed to think that the other did not quite follow one's response.. so one proceeds to explain "Nothing yaar.. all fine..(out of courtesy one may also, dangerously though, add-) wassup with u these days?" And yes, by now one should have expected such a response as this- "Fine here.. so wat are u doin?" [:P]
With due respect to all those who are interested in my welfare by asking me that question over and over again just to make sure all's well with me and hoping to hear that I'm engaged in some meaningful activity, when I say "nothing ya.. all's fine", please just let me be..! I dont know if there are other souls who relate to what I am trying to say. However, thanks for dropping by![:)]
The second most interesting conversation that I have come across- You meet some familiar face on your way around 11 in the morning. Both smile and say hi. after that one might look to continue one's walk. But the other thinks there is a time lag and simply for want of conversation asks the former "Did you have breakfast?" one smiles and replies, "Yes, thank you" One would think there ends courtesy and is about to leave when the conversation continues, "so, what did you have for breakfast?" (One would think- excuse me! am i really having this conversation?!) "Ummm bread toast". "Oh nice.. with cheese?" Does this really matter to either of the conversationalists??! One is rather forced to wish that one had said one had skipped breakfast altogether![:P]
Third most interesting conversation- "Hi.. wassup? (that winner question is kinda pervasive and is almost a sure shot in any 'interesting' conversation) did you finish the portions for tomorrow?" "No ya.. plenty left" "Oh, how much have you finished?" (One would think the other is interested in one's welfare and hence answers this question politely) "3 chapters, got 4 more to go". The other is now now adding this piece of information to his/her statistics.. "Oh ok.. dont worry ya.. Alpha has done only one chapter so far. By the way, beta's done with 5, Omega almost all of it.. gama and ohm with 6 chapters, delta and I just finished the portions for tomorrow.. (one is screaming withing oneself by now- "One the hell, then, did you call me, you.... you moron!") It's all easy ya.. dont worry.. you'll be able to finish it allright" (yeah, rite!)
Well, that, I think is a shade better than when somebody u know has been studyin all day and walks to your door at 12 in the night, (and that is when u have just started finding out what lessons are there for tomorrow's test!) makes a funny i-am-goin-to-fail face, that is such a see through, you know that the other is so sure of topping the class in the paper! The latter continues to stand in the same posture leaning against your door frame, after having finished revising the goddam portions, whining and grumbling about not being able to remember a thing. The latter's eyes looks at the page you are working on in your book.. which reminds him/her of something and drwas him/her insdies.. the page gets the altter excited and the whole graph is explained animatedly in the next 7 mintes and then in a poor-kitty-like tone... "OMG... am not sure if that's teh correct answer.. is it?!" One suddenly realsies how one's time is being eaten away. How nice it would be if this uncalled visitor can just go away!! And finally when the visitor just walks away, you've succssfully lost the little interest to study that you had tried to gather! That's when you realise that some people can really be a pain in the wrong place!!
For now though.. I'm signing out.. and it you want to be engaged in a meaningful activity, tell me wassup?![:)]
