OlD FrIeNds .....

When I was a little boy, before I decided I wanted to try out public high school simply to become a good student, I went to a private school in T.nagar where I made a number of friends

I started at this particular school in kindergarten, and suffered through the painfully unattractive uniforms (of which I tried, unsuccessfully, to jazz up with sparkly and lacy cutoff leggings…), through the 8th class. I had always intended on finishing my schooling there, and I really loved it, but during the summer between 7th and 8th class, a friend convinced me to go to summer camp. Though terrified, I left home for the very first time (for 4 weeks!), and, despite my concern that I’d hate being away from home and cry daily like the homesick fool that I know I have it in me to be…I wound up having the best summer of my life.

Though I’d been wildly unaware, the desire must have been growing inside of me for quite some time because that was all it took to motivate me to switch schools. It made me crave something bigger. A wider variety of classes, new friends, big school dances, and of course, cheerleading in metro culturals. I had to the make the switch—I knew it was then, or never. And so, with just a few weeks of summer left before the start of the school year, my mom pulled me out of that school and enrolled in chittoor. The same high school my cousin attended many, many, many years prior (they’ll love me for that one!).

I was paralyzed with fear, and after my first day I was positive I’d made the wrong choice. After all, the friends I’d made at this school in chittoor(VDEM) were like scared-skin to me—I’d known them practically from then. And now…now I was the outsider with the funny clothes – What did they expect? I’d spent a lifetime wearing plaid jumpers and Monogrammed shirts!

I digress. A few months later, high school began to go just fine.It was all a great experience to say the least. But the one thing I missed dearly from my old school days were my family-like friends. It was hard to stay in touch. We were young, and our lives revolved around school, and the people in our immediate proximity. We didn’t drive yet, and our houses were all so far apart. I missed my best friend, desperately, but life just seemed to spiral on, and soon we lost toucjh in talking altogether. Not because of a fight, or anything bad. Our lives just went in different directions.

But last night, after 7-8 years, Harish and I got together for dinner . And we had the BEST time. We’d been trying to coordinate our schedules to get together since I moved , and we were having a hard time making it happen. Then, SUPER coincidentally, last time I ran into him and his mom in his apartment complex! There are cute shops and restaurants in his area, and we all happened to be walking around at the same time. None of us could believe it, and we decided it was fate giving us a good kick .

We sat for 4 hours catching up, laughing, eating good food, and becoming part of each other’s lives all over again. It was incredible—truly heartwarming—to know that a friend who made such an impact on my childhood, someone who I adored so much and spent so much concentrated time with, has turned into an amazing man who I still enjoy just as much. We picked up right where we left off (minus the braces and bad ----), and delved back into each other’s worlds with vigor and heart. There’s something so refreshing and real about spending time with friends who knew you back when, before you lost sight of your true self and starting trying to “grow up” and continuously transform yourself.

When we were finally ready to leave the restaurant, we walked out together and saw we’d parked in the exact same lot, right next to one another. Another crazy coincidence letting us know, once again, that despite the years passed and our different schooling and adult-life adventures, our friendship was, and still is, meant to be.