My daughter’s friends are a bold lot. She has many friends but the three closest to her are Neha, Veni, and Gargi. They meet at the drop of a hat. I won’t say exactly that they are birds of a feather because, on the whole, their differences make them bond very well. All of them are married with two kids each so there is much ado about nothing, I mean, everything. Life is not an even keel for anyone but problems shared are the healthy way to go. Friends are like a buffer against the travails of life.

They all meet at weddings, birthdays, house warmings, anniversaries, and whatnot. Time literally waits for them as they browse in restaurants and shops. They are cool as a cucumber with their children playing together under the watchful eyes of a maid. They visit all the niches in the city where their kids can have a good time including themselves.

 I fain can understand their policy of rising and shining with the mobile glued to their ears. I am gobsmacked that they have so much matter to talk about.

On the other hand, my friend Vidya and I were close friends till we got married. The thing we had in common was our frugal living, otherwise, I was brusque and loudmouthed while she was a gentle soul who did not know how to get angry. Laughter was our wealth and everything in life seemed funny.

We both worked nights for a Govt. concern and we both attended day college. Days faded into years and our meetings were rare, caught up in family life. I wish I had not been so family-oriented and had spent time with my friends like my daughter. Vidya’s attendance at my son’s wedding was her swan song. I did not hear from her and did not know she was down with cancer. She has passed on her gentle spirit to her only pretty daughter. Those were the days…

Sheila Ebenezer