Nameless Friends

Chandan Gupta
Sep 7, 2018 · 4 min read

My ‘Digital Circuits’ professor does not allow entry after 5 minutes into the lecture.

It was raining heavily. Of all the days, I forgot to bring my umbrella on that day. It was 9:00 already. I knew that I only had 5 more minutes.

I rushed down the stairs of Harkesh Metro Station. Breathing heavily, I ran towards the back entrance of the college.

“I-D Card” demanded the guard.

“First year. Haven’t got it yet.”, I said, loudly.

“Ok”.

I started running towards the back entrance of the first floor. “What if some stranger enters in our college ?”, I murmured.

I reached the lecture hall. The professor himself had not arrived yet. I drank water. Nothing gave me more joy than knowing the fact that I had arrived on time (not literally). Suddenly one of the students, sitting in the first row, approaches me.

“Close call.”, he said.

“Yes”, I said confusingly, speculating why that student, whose name I did not know, whom I am only used to see during lecture hours had suddenly started talking to me.

“Hmm. Only the devil knows who will go this time for revision on stage. I am shivering.”, he said.

“Me too.”

“Have you done the IP homework?”

“No, I will be starting it on weekend.”

“Man. So many deadlines! Wish I had chosen DTU.”

We both laughed.

Now let me describe about the situation which may seem normal to you . I am not good in making new friends and talking to strangers. I have hardly made any best friends since the start of my college life. Just some normal acquaintances which are common to my group number, that’s all. So what I saw in that situation was an opportunity to make a new friend. I knew that this was a golden chance, and I had to make a run for it. I had stopped listening him midway, realizing that there might be a chance that we both may become great friends.

So I decided my next move — to somehow ask his phone or convince him to take mine.

But before I could play my move — the professor enters.

The student walked away towards the front row, and it seemed like after showing some light, the sun was setting in.

After three straight lectures, we had our lunch break. But I hadn’t given up. I started planning my next moves. Within minutes I had designed an algorithm for making new friends.

My move — I would come half an hour early for the lecture, as I had often seen that student before the lectures. Whenever he came, or if he was already there, I would approach him,ask his name,have some chat, laughs and then, if possible, exchange phone numbers, because I knew that to make a long lasting relationship here, I needed to have his phone number.

With this in my mind, I entered the lecture hall, exactly at 8:30.

As soon as I entered, I found him playing with the movable chair. For, like a nanosecond, I felt happiness flowing through my veins, which I had long forgotten. But I observed something else — he was surrounded by 3–4 people.

“Should I greet him??” I asked myself, as I thought that I might interrupt them, or they might judge me. I quietly sat down on the farthest spot I could find from that guy, so that he couldn’t know I was there.

With grief in my heart and hope for tomorrow, I opened a rough notebook, pretending to read something, or rather, to cover my sad heart from the rationality of the brain.

“Hey dude! How are you?” I heard in a familiar voice.

I immediately closed the notebook.

“Hi.” i said, trying to hide my excitement.

“Am I disturbing you??”

“No, I was just revising something.”

“Hmm. Only the devil knows who will go this time for revision on stage. I am shivering.”

“Me too.”

“Ya, I don’t know why it seems to me that this time, it will be my turn.”, said one of the other students.

After some time we were all engaged together in a conversation. As time passed the lecture hall started filling up. I was completely unaware of the surroundings — these new ‘friends’ were making me oblivious of this materialistic world, taking me to a world where I am only surrounded by generosity, personal importance and friendship. I started drifting away to this magical world.

“Settle down everyone!”, said the devil.

The guy whom I had encountered yesterday walked away towards his seat.

However I observed a very interesting thing — all the other students were not sitting around with him, but were rather spread evenly across the hall.

Later I tried to search about him, so that at least I could get his name. I tried searching him on backpack,and found a picture corresponding to him. However before clicking on his photo, thoughts started coming in my mind.

What if our relationship became like other relationships?? What if we lost our fondness for each other?? What if I, knowing his name, might lose him as friend?? What if I lost the guy who was sitting right across the hall and might transform him into someone completely different??

I didn’t click on his photo.

The next day, I found him again sitting in the front seat, this time 8–10 people surrounding him.

“Only the devil knows who will go this time for revision on stage. I am shivering.” I said, this time.

The only thing unusual about our friendship is that we both don’t know each other’s names.