Episode I

Hi friends I'm Meera, a graduate. Today I have time to think back and quote a few words about my friends.

I don’t know whether I have chosen the right profession or the right college or the right school. But I know I have many friends, people who would be there for me in all situations thick or thin. I was quite timid before joining our college, and the company of my friends have brought about all these changes in me.

I was very scared to enter the college the very first day. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I was used to being a very smart girl at my home for my parents, my younger sis and all those whom I knew very well, and was not comfortable even when someone whom I didn’t know just glanced at me. I couldn’t even stand it if anyone teased me by just a look. But now I'm here writing down about sweet friends at both college and school. I have heard many people saying that “college life is one of the best periods of life”. But I don't hesitate to say that I have enjoyed my school life too.

Like almost anyone, I had lots of sweet dreams too, which I secretly wished to fulfill – at least a few. I cherish all those dreams which I had when I was a little girl even today. All those sweet memories flood into my mind when I think of my school days and my friends there. I remember the moments when our 10th grade results were announced... That was my first public exam and I was really tensed about the results. I had heard all sorts of scary stories about students who made suicide attempts because of low marks. A friend of mine too, when her teacher teased her for low marks and also because of the disgrace she had brought to her parents by her results. I was afraid about bringing disgrace to my parents too! I knew I would have a distinction but I sure didn’t expect 88% in tenth... I was an above average student but didn’t expect such a miracle in my life when my parents would be proud of me. I knew at that moment that GOD had showered his blessings on me, which HE continues to do even now.

I had many friends at school , but I used to dream as every teenage girl would at that age about a handsome prince who would come from the shadows on a horse, bring bunches of red roses and propose me and I would fall in love with him (like in movies!) and we would be married and would live happily ever after... But nothing of that sort happened in my life - at least not until now. I didn’t have the courage to express my feelings to anyone, not even to my close friends. Many of them had boyfriends, some just taking each other for granted and the others who would die for each other.

Like most of the schools in that country our school also restricted coeducation. There were different divisions for boys and girls. And in both sections there were toppers in everything. And we knew the names of only such toppers.... We were separated from boys after 4th grade. The only times boys and girls saw each other were during the public exams and that was in the 10th and 12th. Naturally love stories sprouted at these short intervals. Even though I believed in love I didn’t want love to happen as a contract for 2 years! I used to tell my friends that I am not going to take this contract even if the person is as good-looking as Shahrukh or someone who won’t fall for anyone other than me. I wanted friendship - not a love affair - because friendship stays for a lifetime but an affair ends when our school life ends. What is the point anyway? We will go to our native places for higher studies and live the next part of our life that GOD has decided for us. But no one in our group wanted to believe that.

So I was like that.......... and moreover like all parents, my mom & dad were only interested in their daughters’ future and nothing else. They didn’t like me or my younger sister to mingle with any of the boys. So I had only those male friends who were family friends, who were also bought up in the same manner. As far as my dad and mom were concerned I had no boy friends at school. That was a sweet secret that I shared with my darling-sis and my friends. It started when I was in the 11th...

I was not that glamorous that a guy would notice me when I passed by. As I said earlier in our school we didn’t have a chance to meet any boys. After my 10th I got a call from Ritika (Ritu), one of my sweet friends. We talked a lot because there were no charges for local calls. She told me that she got a new friend and his name was Pranav. I told her not to go in a path from where you can’t turn back, but she said he was a very nice guy, and she believed him. So there was no room for any of my opinions. She then told me that a boy in our school likes me a lot. Let's call him Mr.X for the time because when I asked her to tell his name (so that I could clobber him, and he’d forget everything), she didn't tell me. But in my mind I was really tensed because someone had started noticing me and I didn’t want a stalker. And most of all I didn’t want to create any problems for my parents. I knew from Ritu that the plans were laid by Pranav, her new friend and this Mr.X...........