FRIENDSHIP

Hi friends,

All fingers are not alike. Similarly, all people are not the same. I was a different person when I was young. I was very reserved. I did not easily mingle with others. Just an acquaintance is not friendship. It took a long time for me to accept a person as my friend. Once I accepted him as a friend, I would give my life.

God had given me some special traits. I could easily get into the heart of a person by looking into his eyes, by observing his body language and by understanding his words. I was not easily convinced. I was a doubting Thomas. In most of the cases, I was found to be correct.

I was a proud person. I did not easily budge. I had certain firm belief. It might be or might not be correct. I did not know for sure how I acquired it. If anyone considered that he was big, I was bigger than him. If anyone considered that he was small, I was smaller than him.

I was very conservative. I preferred to be loved than to love. That was why I had only a few friends, not even the number of fingers in one hand. Once I accepted a person as a friend, I did not hesitate to share anything and everything with him. I had full confidence in him.

I am yet to come across a person like that. It is said friendship formed early in life lasts long. I was not fortunate to have one. The five friends, I had during younger days, did not last after their marriage. Their wives did not cooperate in the continuance of our friendship.

True friendship is in the giving and not in the receiving. I am tired of people. They are not sincere, close, open, caring and sharing, and they are just opportunists, I am yet to find a true person who would be willing to give his life for me. 

Out of all the people who moved with me, only one person continues the association with me for more than 50 years. He is a good man, soft-spoken, elder to me by five years. We met in 1967 in the same office. We used to share our lunch as well as our views. Both of us belonged to middle-class families.

He also had lot of responsibilities like me. We were going to office in cycle or bus. After dinner in the night, we used to meet daily and sat in a park and dreamed. One day, he said he would drive a Fiat car around the park. When his  dream came true, I was the first person to be informed.

He wanted to marry an employed girl. In my family they were not preferred. He married an employed girl and I married an unemployed. He has 3 children and I have 2. All are well qualified, decently employed, happily married, and well placed in their life.

We are now separated as I have come to stay with my son due to old age. I am 72 and he is 77. We don't meet often. We talk only over the phone. You don't get the satisfaction of meeting in person. What to do? That is life. We have to carry on till the D day arrived.