One of my friend 4 (Part 2)...

Chapter 2
Friend of the Guy.

Life in a small town is not so fascinating. It was after years, i was to know the difference of Town, City and a Metro, but the life even then was not so very happening just to realise that sometimes i was bored. I dont remember when i had become a good friend with him. From the days that i can recollect, we have been studying in the same school, sometimes in same class and always had a decent friendship. Was it after i accidentally made him fall from bicycle for which he had to be stitched at places, i really dont know when we had developed a good friendship for each other. We used to share a lot of things between us and after the schools hours, either he used to come to my place or i visit his home. Most of the evenings used to be spent like that. He was very strong by character and had his means in everything. His thought process used to be comparatively faster than me for i used to think that i was better thinker in the school. Once he had duel with two other guys in seventh standard and the fight was rumoured to be for a girl. I got to know the details in next year.

Seemingly he had been 'loving' a girl from sixth standard and two other guys teased her. The teasing was about, well forget it, it is un-Parliamentary to mention it here. I dont have great opinion about love or atleast love at that age. I know that a thinking exists that love at such age is pure and unadulterated, but i am not a big fan to it. But he happened to be my friend and i know him completely and hence i can say that in his case it was true. I really dont remember seeing him much speaking with her or ogling and roaming around her, but he did always remember of her. He had a carving for good quality pens and whenever he bought a pen, her name used to be the first writings. I dont know whether all this sums up to be called a love, but i know this much, that her presence and thought could elate him to any extent.

We moved our way in terms of academics after tenth standard and he being a person with clear thoughts, he went his way. But our friendship remained and i used to meet him whenever it was possible. He was the same person, sharing everything with me. He used to write letters to that girl and keep it to himself for not that he lacked courage but just for the thought that she may say no. I neither supported nor was against it, for i was not having a clear opinion towards all this but i used to just tell him to do anything only after giving a good thought about it. When he was roaming around, due to his natural attributes, he had a lot of girl friends, but he remained good(i hope, you understand what i mean) and deep in his mind was committed to her. The letters to her were piling on and he had a good hand and command in English and Tamil.

One day, he gave me ring and i was to hear his happy voice. I never before, remember him to be excited that much. He told me that he had found her and spoke to her. I am very sure, knowing him, the amount of work he would have had put to discreetly locate her and speak to her in a way not harming her would have been immaculate. He was sounding as if he had attained enlightenment, but for him everything was just nothing but for her. He regularly spoke to her. He used to tell me what they generally spoke, not in particular, and he always mentions that she had inclination in speaking to him. I was happy for him, but at the same time sceptical that things should end good. He started writing the letters again and i saw the amount of time and effort he invested for the letter, which he had decided to post her. He had good knack for various arts. He can draw, write poems etc..,. I saw his first letter, it had her name written in a different way which he told me as an Ambigram, a word which i heard for the first time. I thought that i am under-educated and tried that word with all my classmates and even the staff members, to my satisfaction no one had heard it before.

That was the time, when he used to be on cloud nine always. He used to do a small business out which he earned some money for all his this kind of needs. He was hell bent that he would never call her or spend on something for her out his Dad's money. I started realising where the things were leading to. He was to propose her very shortly and was very sure that she would accept it. Just for argument, I knew that they have been speaking almost everyday for hours and hours, i asked him once how he can say so, for after all she might have been speaking to him just as a friend. That question did make him to think, and that only worsened the case. One fine week end immediately after me asking that question, he proposed to her. He told me that he had given her some time to think over it completely and say anything. He purposely did not call her for a week. Not only he, but also me, was waiting for the reply.

During the times when he was calling and writing to her regularly, i believe that she allowed her friends to read the letters and answer the calls for her. I dont understand till date why she did it. I know this because my friend had become famous among her friends and they have been speaking to him when he used to call her, in attempts to befriend him. He had gifted her a solid crystal piece with inscription of her favourite God, which he had specially got from some God-knows-where place. Those things were totally out of time for all of us. He did visit her and see her from a distance twice, with which i was annoyed. I told he should have had the guts to walk up to her, for which he replied that he did not want to surprise her or do such things which may put her trouble. What the fig.. i used think it all as a total waste of time. That time we were in the third year of the degree and i was really worried that he should keep up his performance, for he had been doing really well always before.

After a week he could not call her for reasons know to me, and he finally called her after one more week. I was there with him when he was speaking to her. I could mildly hear her voice and could not avoid over-hearing things. She had a one liner, "I am surprised and dont know what to say". I remember clearly that she left him hanging rather than saying yes or no. Should i have been in my friend's place, i might have been totally broken down and forced to chose some extremes. But he was composed. He spoke some pleasantries and then hung up the phone. Later two or three more times, he spoke with her, and they spoke as normal, as if nothing had happened. With one sided conversation of my friend, i could make out nothing but wonder how they both can converse as usual, for same amount of time. But i did see some difference in my friend.

One fine day, he told me that he had let her go. What the fig...???

I asked him if she told no or any developments that has forced him to take such decision, for which he replied in negative. I totally could not understand anything, before or even then. All that i could understand and visualise was that my friend being hurt after nine years of dedication and commitment. It may have been one side, but atleast things could have been handled maturely and smoothly to reduce the pinch or atleast could have been stopped before becoming this deep. I was worried, again. But he did recover or atleast showed no signs of damage. But i having been observing him for quiet sometime could make out how much hurt he was. To some surprise of mine, he continued his academic performance and he was the first of all our batch to get settled with a job and move out of the place. After some three years or so, with no attempts from his side to contact her, he asked me if know where she was. I was aware that she was married and settled in life. He was not very surprised, but i was shocked when he told that he wanted to atleast see her once before anything might happen to him. I could not agree, but could not convince him against it.

We decided to visit her in-laws place. He was very meticulous in doing so. He gave a call to their home and informed that he was a friend of her who has just come back from a foreign trip after four years, and heard that most of the friends have got married and thought of meeting them to wish and gift them. We purchased four gifts wrapped in similar packs and went to find the house. He dropped me at place, saying that it may not go well and that he did not want me to be involved, if it is so. He came back after half an hour or so. He could not meet her, it seemed. He narrated everything. He found and entered the house with the father-in-law receiving him with a dark face. Very obvious. He tried to be very friendly with him and the host made him sit and offered a cup of coffee and he had explained him that immediately after Engineering, he got a job abroad and was returning after four years. He opened the bag with four gifts, picked out two with different names written on it, put them back and picked the one which had her name written. He handed over it to him. The father-in-law seemingly convinced of the intentions, told that she is settled in some other place and rang her up and made him to speak. My friend, to obviate any doubts, put the cordless phone on loudspeaker and then spoke to her very coolly. Infact the father-in-law had told my friend that it was her birthday also, as if caught in surprise, he wished her many more birthdays also. As expected, the host asked him to stay for the lunch, which he politely refused by saying that he had to meet three more friends and gift them for their marriages. I think, still believe, it was well executed. Then never ever did he mention about her to me. But i know the dips in his tone also, on every birthday and marriage days, his voice sulks.

Now, visiting her is still a point for discussion, but didnt my friend handle the things maturely. Should he be an insensible person, things might have ended up harming her. He is a well read person, who is aware of things and did handle it maturely, i would say. After so many years, he did mention once that he could have avoided the visit. If my friend was seeing it as adventure or an opportunity, he would not have told me this. Having holistic view makes me think it was my friend's mistake to be so dedicated to her for so long, but he did maintain his stance throughout and kept his limit everytime. Even before proposing to her, he did take his time to read her, but she could have told him a simple NO at any point of time, if not at the beginning itself. If my friend had preconceived notion that 'she is speaking to me, so she is in love with me', it would have been premature and stupid. I know for sure he did not have such thoughts. She could have told him at some point or other, I wish. It was his solitary decision to let her go. Had he not, how things might have turned is discussable. Now he is also married happily (?) and well settled in life.

Epilogue

Was it warranted of the guy to visit her in-laws' place...??? Was it unwarranted of the girl to keep him hanging...??? I dont know.