Friendship Goes a Long Way.
“Hey…. Sara, what happened to you? Looking so pale, lifeless and dejected?” At the age of 21, the peak time of youth, she was showing no zest of life and no energy at all. As if she has been quite sick of the burden of life. Just a skeleton was moving here and there, listless and lifeless.
“Nothing sweetheart. Everything is Ok.” Mustering up her courage to her best Sara replied to me. “No, no, no…………! Stop it, I said Sara just stop it plz……plz…. for my sake, look at me.”
I looked deep into her eyes and pleaded, “Don’t eat your heart this way. I can feel whatever is inside you is just killing you. You just can’t take it anymore………So, plz……. (my tears also dropped down but instantly I wiped them off.) I can’t see you like this, tumbling down to ashes. It’s not the Sara that I know, the queen of college, everyone used to be crazy to have a selfie with you. Come on Sara, open up your heart to me”, I hugged her tightly and kissed on her forehead.
Sara hardly composed herself and managed to say:
“He, he ….. he is interested in someone else, you know?”
“Who……?”, I wondered. “I’ve never seen you so heart-broken and depressed. And you never ever mentioned any BF?
When did he come into your life?”
“No, not any Bf…I never had any…I’m talking about my fiancée. He is my first cousin. Will you believe my first cousin? And he is interested in someone else now. I, I … I just can’t believe this.”
She burst into tears. Sara, “I’ve never seen you so hopeless. Be yourself plz………”
I got surprised and puzzled.
I asked: “You never discussed him ever before?”
She hesitated and said:
“Coz it was our elders who took this decision when I was in just 9th class. When I matriculated, I got to know about him. Having nobody earlier in my mind, I found myself being naturally and psychologically inclined to him in my heart of hearts…..I myself was not aware of this fact. But you know when…. when…. when I heard about his love story, I felt being thrown from the top of a fifth-floor building to a broken bricked floor. It was just an earth-shaking moment for me. How could I discuss it with you when I myself didn’t know about my feelings?”
She rolled her eyes down and looked to her feet.
“Moreover……these were”, she couldn’t take a break now, “these were my elders who took wrong decisions leading to wrong results. They kept talking about his charming personality, dashing looks and handsome salary. They also assumed that he would leave that girl soon as well. She is just a childhood fancy, a CRUSH, nothing more.” She paused.
“BUT…………”
“But what Sara? what happened?”
“That CRUSH has gone too far now……coz they are getting married now. you know, I have been listening his name with mine for many years. I myself didn’t know that their marriage could ever hurt me this way. I feel so helpless and suffocating.”
She turned pale and breathed heavily.
I took her hand in my hands. Then I turned her face up to mine and said with warmth of love:
“Why are you taking him on your nerves since he is not interested in you? Why are you humiliating yourself and your self-esteem? He is not the last man on earth for you. Neither he is the end of this planet. Be yourself sweetheart! Everything is fine. You have lost nothing, trust me, you have lost nothing at all.”
“yeah………I know it’s a silly thing ever!……..But you know who made me feel this all? You know who caused this pain and agony to me? No other than my elders, they…. they…they inflicted this frustration here in me.” (she pointed her finger to her heart). “It seriously pushes me. It doesn’t let me sleep for nights. I don’t know, what to do? Where to go? Whom to talk?”
She looked at me very innocently and asked, “Tell me, what to do? Coz I’m dying.” I embraced her and said, “Sara, you are very brave, do you know? You are very, very, very daring. Such happenings can’t let you lose yourself this way. Don’t allow them to do so plz! Just don’t allow them I said. You will see everything will be fine……. Trust me.” I hugged her again more tightly.
Suddenly, it clicked to me that our final exams are quite imminent. Last year Sara couldn’t score as high as she used to do ever before. “Why don’t you focus on your exams? Put all of your energy into your exam’s preparation and research projects for your master’s degree.” I asked.
I continued:
“One more thing, look at your weight Sara! Why don’t you watch YouTube tutorials to reduce your weight? See how I have lost 10kg. Honestly speaking you don’t need to lose more. I’m not suggesting you to do so for he has rejected you on these grounds. No, never. he is just a stupid fellow. I truly wish you to be just a little slimmer and attractive for your own beauty, grace and confidence. Often depressed people go to obesity. That’s the only I just want to point out. Just imagine yourself the way you used to be!” she looked into my eyes and hugged me.
Watch these Sara I said:
https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/weightlosstips
https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/simplesoulfulapp
“Why don’t you again join me for playing badminton on weekends? We used to have great fun while playing during summer vacations. We also used to cut jokes at tea time in winter holidays. We will do all these again……will you Sara….?”
Sara smiled and spoke in her musical voice, “Yes! You are right. Rather I must say that you have shared some brilliant, spectacular and marvelous ideas. And Thank you for giving a new direction to my life. I seriously felt that I couldn’t live anymore then. Or perhaps I could never smile ever again. You have given a new meaning to the grave of my listless life. Thanks again”.
She parted.
I paid my heartily thanks to Allah Almighty!
After some day, I couldn’t believe in my eyes when I saw Sara’s ruddy face with glowing smile. She was just coming towards me. She hugged me and shared a great news about our result :
“Thanks to my loveliest friend. Its only and only because of you that I have topped in the university. The whole credit goes to you.”
Sara also whispered something in my ears. I twisted her ear, “you clever mirchu (naughty fellow), acting on my advice you have topped !and it’s you who are telling me that I just have passed the exam. I ‘m just pass!!! How dare you?”
She smiled naughtily and said: “As you sow, so shall you reap! Mam you have never been as dedicated to your studies as I have been. So, see your harvest today……Where’s my wrong?” There was a roar of laughter between us.
I hugged her and thanked to the power of friendship.
