Memories!!

The main door of house no 24, Alishaan society unlocked as Jay  came back from work. It was 31^st  December and so he had taken short leave from work in order to rest and be ready for the party hosted by one of his colleagues for welcoming the new  year. He kept the keys on the table beside the couch and threw himself on the couch as if his legs have given up. He was just at the boundary and was about to enter the world of peace when the doorbell rang twice. Feeling irritated and mentally cursing the person outside he went to open the door. It was his neighbour, who had come to give his letters and some other stuff which in his absence was taken by him. He thanked him, closed the door behind him and checked the letters. None of them were much important. He lied down again on the couch trying to sleep, but felt deprived of it.

He went to the washbasin, washed his face and sat on his favourite rocking chair and started checking his phone. 17 Whatsapp messages from 13 chats but none of them worth reading. Suddenly he felt like he is all alone and loneliness kindled in him. In just 3 months everything changed. All his friends went to respective places where they were assigned by the company and he came to Mumbai because of his job. He knew no one here except his colleagues. He started going through the contacts because loneliness was eating him and desperately  wanted to talk to someone, someone close. He was scrolling the contact list as his eyes fell on the particular number he was searching for. He pondered if that person would be busy and would have enough time for him. In the dilemma of calling the person or not, he rested his head on the head rest of rocking chair and started rocking it too and fro.

St. Joseph's Convent school, class of 7^th Std, a new girl in the class was giving her introduction as the new academic year begins. She went and greeted everybody by shaking hands including the popular guy of the class about whom she didn't knew much, but he didn't even bother to look at her while greeting. The popular guy was Jay Mehra and the new girl was Shweta Mittal. Little did they know that  destiny has written something different for them. Jay Mehra was popular because of his academic excellence plus somewhat sports too and all the teachers knew him very well,  thus he got special treatments from each of them. Shweta on the other side was a newbie and didn't knew much about anyone except the first encounter with Jay made her think that he was arrogant, egocentric and rude.

Years passed and nothing happened. For Jay, Shweta was just a random girl in the class just like any other girl because he never even bothered to talk to anyone except the select few. She on the other side was neutral too, just knew him because of his academic excellence and admired that but when it came to the nature she thought he was  an egoist person. It's because she saw him once being too rude to a girl just because she asked him for one flower from his three flowers for dissection which he had brought for science class. The school ended and all went to their respective colleges.

Jay was in different college and so was Shweta. Jay might not even recall her by her name if she comes and stands infront of him, but on the other side Shweta might recall him due to his popular image. In the school years and so in the college years none ever thought about each other. Both didn't talk much, just some random work related chats in school and after that nothing, so the question doesn't arise of thinking about each other. College years passed nothing happened, but one fine day it happened, we can say destiny started playing its role.

Social networking apps are damn cool, the person you want to contact wherever he or she maybe, just a message or call away. A group was made on Whatsapp of the school friends and all the students were added including Jay and Shweta. Jay felt good to be in contact with school friends after a long time and so use to chat with them. Shweta on the other side too used to chat in it but their timings were different so they never talked until then. One fine day in the group all were talking and teasing Shweta for some or other reason , but Shweta on the other side didn't give up and  was not letting her guard down , alone giving proper fight to them. Just by chance Jay was online and as he read the chat he felt like what a  girl. The way she dodged their questions and the smart answers given by her to them made Jay develop an instant liking for her not a deep one but just a liking enough to know that person once. He immediately came to her rescue in the group and all stopped teasing her . This was beginning of something which none of both ever expected would happen.

Next day he thought about the previous night's incident and also that he wants to know that girl, so he messaged her. Initially it was just some random messages being forwarded between both of them. This went on for few months, no long chats just simple hi hello and some formal talks or forwarded messages. It was final year of the college so everyone felt a little numb as when college ends everyone will go to their respective places where their job is offered. But for them it was different. They started talking as if it was the first year of college. Slightly Shweta became comfortable talking with Jay and Jay's wish of knowing the girl was also being fulfilled. Both got placed, Jay in Mumbai and Shweta in Bangalore. Slowly as the pace of their conversation went from formal to slightly friendly, the college ended.

It was sometime approx a month or two after which Jay has to report to his company in Mumbai. But before that during his leisure time all he did was to talk with Shweta and on the other hand Shweta's reporting was after five months, so she was also free and she started liking to talk to Jay. Jay thought that how can he miss such a wonderful girl to befriend with in the school and cursed himself of not noticing her properly and talking to her properly in school. Actually Jay from the beginning was an introvert person, he kept his things to himself whether they were good or bad. He doesn't understood the idea of sharing with others and lighten oneself until Shweta made him as she was an ambivert person . Shweta on the other side after knowing a bit about Jay cleared the so called rude, arrogant and egoist image from her mind as he was nothing like that. Both felt as if they have judged each other wrong.

Slowly the conversations went deep and both became comfortable with each other and developed a liking for each other. Shweta was a free girl, she use to talk with guys but not in a manner as she used to talk with Jay. Though a lot of guys proposed her during her college time some of them being  her own friend, but she didn't said yes to anyone. For Jay, her thinking about him was different as she felt he was different than other guys and as they slowly used to chat everyday for a long time, a bond started to build up between them. Their friendship grew stronger with each passing day. Shweta used to do craft work and write her thoughts about their friendship and used to give it to Jay which he appreciated a lot. Once she gifted him his picture drawn by her which he liked very much and felt lucky to have a friend like her.  Both trusted each other with their secrets which none of them have ever told anyone. They didn't knew how in a small time they developed so much trust within them for each other that they told things to each other that they had never ever told anyone. It was because both didn't judge each other. They tried to understand each other's perspective as to why they did or say that thing which caused a blunder. So both liked sharing everything to each other. For Jay being an introvert it was totally a very new experience but he liked sharing with Shweta as he thought maybe before in his life he didn't found anyone to talk to, but this thinking was not only of Jay, it was mutual.

Gradually with passing time their bond strengthened and they became best of friends. Shweta felt like Jay was different from the other guys she met in her life and was too much good  to be her best friend as she developed an internal liking for him as she had never developed in years for anyone, that's because Jay was handsome, sincere, kind, caring,  straight forward gentle and soft hearted just like any girl would want in any guy.  Same happened with Jay, Shweta was pretty,smart,sweet, free girl with lot of guts and a uniquely comfortable way of speaking which makes the other person to share things to her. But they were friends and they were not in any romantic relationship,  as both hated it because both believed a romantic relationship limits themselves which none of them wanted. Their friendship was quite different as none complained much about each other and accepted the way they were. Once  when both went to eat pizza which was Jay's idea, Shweta didn't liked it much but for his sake she went with him. After coming home she vomited it out because it wasn't good, but didn't complained a bit about it to Jay. It was when Jay asked her then she told what happened. That increased respect for her in Jay's heart. Their friendship was completely platonic without  slightest of those feelings and desires and they gave a new meaning to , a guy and a girl can stay friends too. Though both liked each other they didn't wanted to get involved with each other, as being friends there were endless possibilities of knowing each other rather than in a relationship. They usually use to chat and once or twice meet and have a walk together just like best friends. It was not that their friendship was perfect, it also had  twist and turns, they also had fights, but fights only strengthened their friendship because we fight with people who are close to us.

Jay came to Mumbai as his call came from the company, but after coming to Mumbai also they talked just like usual. Though they talked everyday for 4-5 hours still their talks never get over. They always have something to talk to which defined friendship far more stronger than relationship. With that usual chats , some calls and some random meetings they became  lifeline friends of each other. Both valued each other's company and never got bored of each other. None of them thought that they would ever come so close to each other and become best of friends. Who would have thought a guy who never talked to a girl in school when they were together and a girl who was so presumptuous about that guy from the beginning will end up being each other's best buddies. Shortly afterwards Shweta also joined her company in Bangalore, both became busy with their own work but their friendship didn't died. Though they talked once in a few days, but they can feel that though the physical distance between them is more but the bond was still intact. Whenever they talked, they talked with the same vigor and cheerfulness as they use to before, and both felt that and were happy about it  as they knew distance didn't matter.

As Jay kept rocking his chair to and fro,  going down his memory lane and recalling all the good memories he has conserved in his life, he had no idea it's been three hours since he was reliving his good times. In those 3 hours he re-lived almost everything from his childhood to the way he got his special friend  on his way up, recalled every good memory as they flashed infront of his eyes. A sudden ringing sound hindered his trip down the memory lane which kept on increasing its intensity. Just as Jay came out of his trance, he realized his cell was ringing . Seeing the name of the caller a smile conquered his face thinking that how much connected he is to someone and with happiness pushing his loneliness out of his system  he picked up his phone.

A man without memories is a man who has not lived his life the way it should be lived and has created nothing to look forward to in his bad time. Memories are the bits and pieces of the moments which we want to carry forward with us in our life to remember in times of need. Imagine you are living monotonous life and suddenly an old friend crosses by, then just by seeing him only your mind will show you the flashes of all the good time you have spent with him. So memories are an important part of our life. Remember good things, delete the bad ones create more and more memories and stay happy.

It's the end of the year and so take time to relive the good memories of this year and try to lock and conserve it for future and be ready to make new ones for the upcoming year. Wish you all a Happy New Year 2017. May this year you create lots and lots of golden memories to carry forward and may this year brings joy, success and love in your life....