A tale of two cities

Warning: The post is going to be long, sappy, and largely personal. Please bear with it.

Long long time ago, in a school far far away, there were five teenagers. For the sake of convenience, let us call them Sincere Girl (SG), Princess (P), Tomboy (TB), Grown-up Kid (GK) and Gareeb Aadmi (GA).

SG, P and TB were also known as the Trimurti (yes, corny... I know!) of the class - the three inseparable girls. A little later, P and GK became a couple. So TB was mighty pleased... her dearest friend and her best buddy were together! GA, of course, was the guy who was the butt of all our jokes, yet we were all very fond of him. Infact, we used to tease him about everything, and his response to all our jokes would be that we should spare him, since he is a 'gareeb aadmi'. Which he was. NOT. Anyway, I am sure it will come as no surprise to the reader, that after school, these 5 went on with their lives in different cities and did different things. Some remained close friends, some were in touch off-and-on, and some, were lost to time and space and adulthood.

9 years after first befriending him, TB met GA in Chennai last week. She had met him several times inbetween, but off-late, had totally lost touch. Even birthday emails had bounced back. But as luck would have it, Orkut came to the rescue, and an email from GA read "I am in Chennai right now and my phone no is 9xxxxxxxxx. Gimme a call if you happen to come to Chennai some time". A phonecall the same night, that too from a local number, surprised him no end. I would like to believe it was a happy surprise. TB spent 2 evenings with GA last week, and apart from exploring Chennai, she also realised how easy it was to reconnect. School friends are so easy to talk to, so quick to understand and so comfortable to have around you. Times have changed. TB is no longer a Tomboy. GA is no longer gareeb. An MBA with a kickass job, TB was impressed when instead of a bike, she found a car waiting for her downstairs. Yet, for old time sake, she still calls him gareeb aadmi. Over dinner, a phonecall was made to the Grown-up Kid in Bangalore, and that included a lot of showing-off about how much fun was being had in Chennai. However old they get, these kids will always remain kids!

On wednesday, GA dropped TB back to the hotel, and almost like a kid being left out of some game, said "I am sure you will have more fun in Bangalore with GK". Again, the reader must have guessed, that there can be no correct response to this statement. A smile would have to do. A goodbye and a hug later, TB was back in her room, packing her bags to leave for Bangalore the next day...

After the shortest flight ever, TB was in Bangalore, greeted at the airport by GK and his girlfriend, KB. As soon as she settled into the car, TB received a call from her boss in Singapore. And there started 3 days of leg-pulling. GK and his girl couldnt stop laughing at the supposed "accent". TB was on his case for his gold watch and gold chain, which she still maintains is only worn by guys who receive them in dowry. So on and so forth. School stories were dug up and KB was updated on everything. Why KB, you ask? Oh well, Konkani Babe. Apparently, there are very few of them around. She was such a sweetheart, listening attentively to all the useless information coming her way. The evening was spent at 13th Floor, which I assure you, is one of the coolest places in Bangalore. Some more friends from school joined in. And before you know it, the place was shutting down and we were back to the guest house. The amount of laughter generated by the three of us surely shocked the caretaker, for they got some very weird looks the next morning. They also got some breakfast next morning, which reminded TB of home. Poori and aloo. Breakfast folllowed by a nap. Later, she drove with some other friends to Bannerghatta park and also ate at Magnolia. Some other happening places were also visited that evening, namely Amoeba and Cha Bar at The Leela. Very very cool, she thought. More talking, more eating, and some shopping later (which included a sari for the Mom from Nalli's), TB realised that in a few hours she would be flying back to Singapore, and couldnt stop whining about it. Of course, she also mixed up her flight timings, and that meant she reached the airport early, and since KB and GK had to leave, she spent a good 3 hours waiting for her flight. And cursing herself for the mix-up. At midnight on saturday, the flight took off, and TB was sad to leave India. At the same time, she knew she'd remember this week for a long time to come. And that, is reason enough, to smile.



GK and I might not meet that regularly, or for that matter even email that often, but somehow, we have stayed real good friends. Most of our conversations are about pulling each others' leg, or teasing each other about our respective partners, but in between all that, we find time and words to talk about the meaningful stuff in life, and that, I am happy about. I had such a great time... thanks, dear!