Friends-Episode 1

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After the small success of finding, locating, and rekindling with three friends I'm bustling with energy and enthusiasm. To continue the zeal and spirit I have decided to write few posts about my stint with an important bond called friendship and friends. So, without much ado;

C: A friend in class 1 and only in class 1. I don't remember anything about her, but for her name. That mainly could be because her mother was our class teacher and my mother remembered her well and often mentioned her name in later years. Once my father got transferred we moved to another town and I was too young to understand the concept of letter writing.

S: One year junior to me in class one and my father and her father were friends. After class she used to hang out in my home until her father comes and picks her up. She even accompanied my mother and me to a few all night Yakshagana shows. According to my mother, tyrant of my younger brother (YB) used to beat her up as well. So most of those memories were kept alive by my mother. And during my college days I got to know she joined the same campus for other professional degree. I asked my roommate who was her classmate to ask about me. Irony is she doesn't remember me. I don't blame her. At 5 years of age you can hardly remember anything. 

M: She was my friend in class II and III. She was staying with distant relatives as her parents couldn't afford her education. The arrangements at the relatives' place isn't hunky dory. She had to play the role of domestic help without payment because they were gracious and big-hearted (pun unintended) enough to take care of her food, accommodation, and schooling. She was drowsy and sleepy during most of the classes. All the teachers were aware of her situation, so they never gave her any hard-time. I read Cinderella story in those days and I nicknamed her Cinderella and her foster parents' (couldn't find any equivalent word) evil step-parents. She was happy with the name and that was our little secret. We constantly discussed about running away from home to escape the misery and live happily ever after. No, I never had any trouble at home but for my father making me do tables and copy writing as a way of punishment. We were always together, doing stuff together, playing together, going around together. I was smuggling my comic books to school, so she could read them at lunch hours. I used to go home for lunch as I stayed very close to school. The private school was run by a charitable trust that provided free meals for the school kids. I very much wanted to have those meals, but my father was against the proposal as he believed that meal should go to a deserving kid. The third standard school year ended in April and I'm off to grandmother's place for summer holidays. That last school day was the last time I saw M. My father got transferred again and we were admitted to a new school for the upcoming academic year. I don't to know what happened to her after that. I wish I never called her Cinderella because life isn't a fairy tale. I wish I tried hard to keep in touch with her. I don't think I'll ever be able to locate her as I know only her first name. I don't know her parents or their last name or her foster parent's name.

If it was a movie I would be set on a journey to find these three people, but it isn't and I have my priorities. However, I'm hopeful to meet these friends of mine who were once essential part of my life. They might be very different, we may not have anything in common, they may not even remember me. It's just my innate desire to know they're all happy in their life, doing whatever suits them best.