Unusual Friends - 01

When my thoughts started travelling back, a subtle voice interrupted saying, “Hi... I am Renu”. Astounded with the sudden hush of words in the hall, I literally stared for a moment. 

She was wearing a wriggled pale green salwar matching her perfect not-so-fair complexion; her specs showed her a bit nerdy, her squiggle hair must be a follow through of her generations, her little chubby cheeks turned pale with continuous sob and eyes were filled with tears which showed the love and care she had for the person. Though I am not sure about the person who is under treatment, I felt she would have been in so much love with them – be it a father, grandfather, friend or whomsoever!

“Sorry, I was totally shattered with that accident and so could not reply you…” she continued with an apology.

“That’s fine. I too felt very low, that’s why thought I could get some help from you. Anyways, thanks for those words!” I said.

She replied with an ‘hmmm…’ and it was silence once again. I could not carry over the conversation. After a few hours, a doctor inspected and moved without saying a word to both of us. We looked at each other and she started, “Is she your friend, engaged or wife or…?” before she completed, I said “Yeah… She was… a friend… nothing more. She usually says that to me - I am your friend and nothing more. I would smile back coz I know she means to me more than what she thinks she is! You know how hard it is to see her like that…”

Before I complete, Aarushya’s face flashed for a moment and made my eyes blur in vision. I couldn’t guess why and how I started speaking about her so casually to an unknown. She replied with much concern, “Relax, she will be okay soon!”

“The guy? Who is that? Your friend?” she asked me with an intent to change the topic from Aarushya. But she never knew that he was more than Aarushya to me. I know Aarushya only for 4+ years, but he was there with me for a long time and also in the worse times.

“Yeah. He is Sanjay. The Friend. He usually wants me to say the word Friend in superlative when someone asks about him as I could just mean him rather anyone. Even I dint have many to compete him…” 

Renu iterated the same thing again asking me to be relaxed. It takes so much pain to console one when you too undergo the same state and thoughts. But she did, rather perfectly. “I know how it feels. Aakash was everything to me, he is there lying in bed unconscious…” she broke down. I had no words to console her but she seemed little matured enough to avoid tears in front of an unknown.

A few hours passed, doctor announced ‘we are trying our best and they are responding well to the medications provided’. Both of us felt a sigh of relief after those words. It was nearly midnight when the doctor left after the final rounds. No food, no water and that was not so bad than your loved one in a hospital bed. Moreover, it was quite late to get food and quite uncomfortable to get sleep in a hospital chair. We chose to stay awake.

“You say about them… I want to hear about Aarushya first…” Renu said with a smile and intent to hear a love story.

“I will say my story; it will have love, friendship and more than what you expect…” I said and started.

Expect the Unusual…

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