I have this friend. Let's call her Hotpants.
Hotpants stays in Baroda but has come to Bombay to study. Although we were in the same class during our first year, our currently wonderful friendship sprouted and took root only this year. She is a talented, intelligent, funny, imaginative woman with several exclamation points following her always. We share a lot more than common interests. We share a locker for our books, we share an early-and-hasty breakfast between our first two lectures, we share butter pav bhaji, we share links from the internet, we share classes and professors. We share a common dream for ten years from today. We share the belief that we make two bumbling fools. But most importantly, we share a treasure trove of memories from this year. Memories that we will treasure for several years to come. Times when we aimlessly set out from college when we had no practicals. Times when we roamed in Crawford market. Times we spent sprawled on the library floor between the stacks, reading until our tummies ached with hunger. Times that we spent in the canteen gushing about life, dreams and food. Times we spent passing notes during boring chemistry lectures. Times when we were creative and made bangles and dream catchers. Times spent blowing balloons for the farewell party. Times we spent cramming for our exams. I couldn't count our memories on my fingers and toes.
Today, Hotpants is to leave for Baroda until college resumes after summer. I had set out from home to meet her when she called me and said that she wasn't done packing and she needed help. So she picked me up at the station and took me to her home. Her home is a large-ish room where she's staying as a paying guest. When I walked in after her, I beheld a room that had been struck by a tornado. There were clothes strewn everywhere, books scattered about, loose papers spread on the floor and little packets of food everywhere. I now knew why she needed help to pack. There are two beds in that room. When I first entered, both of them were piled high with clothes and etceteras. When she told me that only one of those piles belonged to her and the other to her roommate, I heaved a sigh of relief. We got down to packing. We spent the next couple of hours stuffing clothes into bags, holding our breath as we held them shut, yapping away and popping chocolate into our mouths. Two hours, 6 bags and several dusty books later, we were all packed. (Or she was, rather.) We had cleared up the place beautifully. Hotpants' bed was clear of all its mess and we looked at it with swollen chests.
My picture for today shows off the packed bags. I had a whole lot of fun with Hotpants. And today wasn't nostalgic or saddening for I know I'll be meeting this bubbly girl in a couple of months again and will be spending another brilliant year with her. (And many more to come.)
This one's for you, Hotpants!
Hotpants stays in Baroda but has come to Bombay to study. Although we were in the same class during our first year, our currently wonderful friendship sprouted and took root only this year. She is a talented, intelligent, funny, imaginative woman with several exclamation points following her always. We share a lot more than common interests. We share a locker for our books, we share an early-and-hasty breakfast between our first two lectures, we share butter pav bhaji, we share links from the internet, we share classes and professors. We share a common dream for ten years from today. We share the belief that we make two bumbling fools. But most importantly, we share a treasure trove of memories from this year. Memories that we will treasure for several years to come. Times when we aimlessly set out from college when we had no practicals. Times when we roamed in Crawford market. Times we spent sprawled on the library floor between the stacks, reading until our tummies ached with hunger. Times that we spent in the canteen gushing about life, dreams and food. Times we spent passing notes during boring chemistry lectures. Times when we were creative and made bangles and dream catchers. Times spent blowing balloons for the farewell party. Times we spent cramming for our exams. I couldn't count our memories on my fingers and toes.
Today, Hotpants is to leave for Baroda until college resumes after summer. I had set out from home to meet her when she called me and said that she wasn't done packing and she needed help. So she picked me up at the station and took me to her home. Her home is a large-ish room where she's staying as a paying guest. When I walked in after her, I beheld a room that had been struck by a tornado. There were clothes strewn everywhere, books scattered about, loose papers spread on the floor and little packets of food everywhere. I now knew why she needed help to pack. There are two beds in that room. When I first entered, both of them were piled high with clothes and etceteras. When she told me that only one of those piles belonged to her and the other to her roommate, I heaved a sigh of relief. We got down to packing. We spent the next couple of hours stuffing clothes into bags, holding our breath as we held them shut, yapping away and popping chocolate into our mouths. Two hours, 6 bags and several dusty books later, we were all packed. (Or she was, rather.) We had cleared up the place beautifully. Hotpants' bed was clear of all its mess and we looked at it with swollen chests.
My picture for today shows off the packed bags. I had a whole lot of fun with Hotpants. And today wasn't nostalgic or saddening for I know I'll be meeting this bubbly girl in a couple of months again and will be spending another brilliant year with her. (And many more to come.)
This one's for you, Hotpants!
No comments:
Post a Comment