Amitie

4:15 am. Mumbai. 16th March '13.

I always make it a point to make memories - good ones, when I am about to leave a place. Mumbai being my favourite, 15th had to be special and it was. I had spent it with people who had made Mumbai worthwhile for me. But that moment when I left my room, my hostel and finally my campus - I was speechless. The journey right from the steps of my hostel till my flight took off had flashes of everything - right from day one at SP till then and with no one else but with the person who was accompanying me to see off. As we sat there in the taxi, neither of us dared to break the vow of silence between us. On any normal day, we had so much to talk about, fight upon or share with. But these 20 - 25 minutes was different. There was no need to say anything. Everything stood understood. I have always found it extremely difficult to bid bye but this time, it was tough to escape it with him being adamant enough to see me off.  He was the one person who had been with me during the best of my times, worst of it and of course all the times in between in the past two years. He knew the part of me which I myself knew not of. He had made me realize that it was okay to be imperfect. He was the guy I could rely on - any time, anywhere and on anything. He came with a lot of imperfections but probably that's why we were so good together because I was the same too. I have always believed that four to five people make a real difference to your lives in a single life span in the relationship called friendship. I wasn't sure if I have had my plate full as yet but he definitely had made it to the list.

Memories are strange. No matter the form they are, they make you cry. But we seemed to have a pact against it that day. We had reached the airport by then. Time seemed to fly but there was no point in expecting it to delay either. Our college lives had come to an end and we had to accept it. But it was painful. I accept it.I have had so many memories etched with this place and the people in it that it was tough for me to let it go. I hugged him for the first time on the last day of our journey together. And then I went ahead without looking back. I was too weak to see his face. I checked in and moved towards security. I got a call from him. He was in tears. And he was talking. I had nothing to say but for the tears. He talked incessantly of the times we spent together, the friendship we lived and the phase of our life which we would never get back. He talked about everything which I already knew but never felt the necessity to let him know. I was listening to him and I felt he should keep talking because I didn't have the strength to do so. It was the toughest stretch of walk that I had ever walked. But I didn't want to hang up. I wanted to listen to him.

Unfortunately the pilot was in no mood to entertain our sentiment. We were ready for take off and I finally had to intervene in the monologue saying that I was leaving. As I hung up the phone, I burst into tears with no regards for what the people around me thought of.The farther I went from him, that city and all the people in it - the closer I was getting to its memories. It wasn't easy but I let myself open to all the hurt and pain because sometimes it feels right to suffer for the right reasons. And there can never be any reason as worthy as that of friendship, especially the ones we live for!

Carpe Diem!