Friendship!!

'Invitech International', one of the world's largest tech and software developer company having one of its R&D wing in Mumbai. The company has over a staff of 150 people working day and night developing new techs and software to make everything simple. This story is not about the company. It's about the person occupying cubicle no. 45 in the multi-storeyed R&D wing of Invitech International. Rajiv Shukla, a 28 year old software engineer recently joined Invitech International and it served to him as a huge break after few jobless years. He worked as a junior software analyst and he loved his job.

He has befriended some of his colleagues and often go out with them for partying. After a long time he felt like he was living and enjoying his life. But then this happened. It was Friday and everyone was in light mood after lunch break as it was last working day of the week and so Rajiv and his colleagues were discussing about where to go for clubbing. He was too engrossed in discussing the matter that he didn't even notice his cell phone ringing the first time. When it ranged again his ears caught the sound and he picked up his cell phone.

What the voice on the other side said completely shook him, as he stood there numb for few moments. His colleagues shook him and brought him back to his senses and asked what happened. He didn't said anything other than it was an emergency and he needed to go and   left the office. Half an hour later he was climbing the stairs of Apollo Hospital.

His father has met with an accident while riding back home from the market and suffered severe head injuries. He inquired about where his father was shifted and went to see him. The doctors didn't allowed him to go inside and so he saw him from that  round glass of the door. The doctors told him that his father's situation was critical and surgery needs to be done for which he has to first pay 15 lacs. He has to pay it within 24 hours then only the surgery can be done because they can't wait more than 24 hours , as they might lose him completely or he might go in coma.

Rajiv's world came upside down as he heard what the doctors said and started thinking about how to make arrangement of 15 lacs in one day. He had joined recently and his salary was also not much,  plus after adding savings also  a huge amount still remained to  be arranged. He started calling his relatives and sending messages to his friends asking for help. While selecting the message sending list from the contacts came one name on which he thought he should ask or not. He thought it was a matter of his father and ego shouldn't come in between. So just as he was about to select the contact for sending message, the nurse called him and in a hurry he didn't selected the contact and pressed send.

Raghav Suryavanshi, Rajiv's childhood friend was the contact he was in dilemma of sending message or not. But why would a person think of not telling his childhood friend about this disaster in his life? What has gone this wrong? To know this lets go back 11 years. Raghav and Rajiv were not only childhood friends but neighbours too. 24x7 they remain with each other, went to same school too. They were brothers for life, but the only difference was in the behaviour and nature of both. Rajiv was rude, egoistic, short tempered,  bully and he felt himself superior than others maybe because of his dashing looks. On the other hand Raghav was also good looking but was calm,  humble, patient, sensible and soft spoken. Though both were complete opposite of each other, both liked each other's company and so they used to be together always.

But something happened which didn't happen in all this years, a fight on a silly issue, important issue from Rajiv's perspective that created a menace as  he spoke very awful to Raghav ,  which he hasn't spoke in all those years. This thing hurted Raghav and a crack was formed in their unbreakable wall of friendship. Though the matter was sorted afterwards with the help of their other friends, but the damage was already done. Raghav forgave Rajiv but on the other hand Rajiv was in no mood to do so. Slowly their differences increased with their distances and conversations became rare and then Raghav went to US for further studies and their friendship became just a name on the contact list. Raghav didn't forget Rajiv, once in a while he used to message him to know his well being but Rajiv was stubborn and didn't replied properly or ignored his texts and eventually Raghav stopped sending messages.

  Rajiv was constantly running here and there for arranging money and also as the nurse have now told to bring blood bottles from blood bank. He has became ambivalent with frustration and depression at its peak. He somehow managed to get blood bottles but he was short of money. From the relatives he contacted most of them denied, and some didn't even picked his call, while some contributed small amount and on the other side same happened with the friends, only one or two contributed  most of them didn't even bothered to reply. He sat there thinking why none of his friends helped ? He thought whether it was because of his behaviour and nature as he didn't had any regards for any of his friend or because he bullied them and talked rudely with everyone.

The time was running and so was Rajiv but he had completely lost hope and he started hating himself for the person he was . He thought that if anything happened to his father it will be on him. He was completely in tears as he started sobbing loudly, which he had never done in 28 years not when his mother died . Maybe he loved his father more or maybe it was realization of truth and that moment was needed in order to realize his faults.

Completely engrossed in his thoughts and blurred vision due to the tears he saw some people in white coats coming towards him. He wiped his tears and saw that the doctors were coming and the other staff was preparing for the surgery. He went to them, seeing him the doctor told him that his father would become alright and they will try their best. He got confused and asked him about the payment and he promptly told that it's done. The doctor patted him to take care and then went to Operation theater. Raghav rushed to the accounts department and asked for the payment info. The in charge person said that payment was done anonymously and no name was given. Rajiv begged him to find any small detail as it was really very important to know. The person told that he can only tell that the payment came via a bank branch of US. Just as he heard US, the ground beneath his feet slipped away, he checked his outbox of the messages sent and fell on the floor sobbing heavily as everything he has done to Raghav flashed in front of him.

Though Rajiv ignored Raghav, but Raghav always used to know everything about him via other common friends and thats how he got the news about his father.

The Operation was successful and Rajiv's father was out of danger. Rajiv took his cell phone and started typing something swiftly and after thinking a few moments he pressed send. Raghav 's phone beeped as he saw a message flashed and he opened it. A huge smile conquered his face.     

Friendship is the relation we make ourselves as they are the family we choose ourselves and it's the ship which if maintained well will never sink. So be friendly and keep your friends closer. You never know when you need them!! 

-Dedicated to all my lovely friends..................!!!!