Friends Forever

Time it was and what a time it was, it was… A time of innocence, a time of confidence.

Meeting up almost everyday, msging for hours on the cell or chatting up till wee hours in the morning, getting together for those bachelor parties, gallivanting around town together doing nothing in particular and yet having loads of fun, sharing our hopes and fears, agonizing over our careers or marriage, gossiping about teachers and bosses … I have spent some very beautiful moments with my friends … school and college friends, friends at hostel and friends at work.

Some of these bonds went very deep, while some stayed on the fringes – close bonds, marked by a certain amount of emotional detachment; nonetheless, each one of my friends formed a crucial pattern in the tapestry of my life.

Some friends walked beside me only for a short distance in my life, some of my friends have known me since my childhood; irrespective of how long they were part of my life, each one of them has played a big role in making me the person that I am today.

Yet, today I don't even know where some of my friends are; I doubt if they know my whereabouts either.

Some friendships were consumed by sheer lethargy – 'no time to stay in touch' – in spite of our best intentions, some could not bridge the physical distance between us in spite of the best of our efforts, a couple fell prey to needless misunderstandings that, as I now realize on hindsight, could and should have been sorted out; in some cases, our worlds simply drifted apart and nothing could bridge the growing chasm between our worlds.

Today, all that is left of those friendships are some snaps, some greeting cards, some letters, some mementos, and yes, a treasure trove of memories of great moments shared together – memories that sometimes make me smile or occasionally, have me all choked up.

And I know that if one day, I were to come across any one of my 'long lost' friends on the street, we would head off to the nearest coffee shop, have a great time catching up, but I guess that would be it. In fact, some friends are on my contact lists, we sms sometimes, but it is not the same anymore. The bonds have come undone a long time back.

Maybe, some relationships come with a fixed shelf life and a definitely expiry date.