January 29, 1999
The day, my Best Friend was born!
The year was 2016, at Ernakulam Railway Station, precisely at 9:00 PM when the Intercity Express was all set to depart. Amidst the noise and the crowd, two people inhabited entirely different worlds. One brimmed with nervous excitement, on the journey to explore a new life, while the other showcasing disappointment, sadness, and teary eyes. Though she tried to conceal her vulnerability, it inevitably surfaced, as a history existed between them. Between 2 sisters, who spent 15 years on this planet together separated for the first time in their lives.
Abhi and I have been through waves of highs and lows. We welcomed a new year with a peculiar sight — a dead rat resting on the mat. We have shoved a full lunchbox of food into the canals on our way to the nursery, to escape the impending scolding from our parents for wasting food. We harmonized “Burnin Up” by the Jonas Brothers at least 20 times consecutively.
We fashioned silly paper binoculars, gazing into our neighbor’s house merely a yard away during evenings. Her science teacher, also the class teacher, summoned me to her class multiple times due to her mischievous antics. We shared crushes and critiqued each other’s boyfriends.
We were basically best friends.
And then, we weren't.
We were apart for 5 precious years, which were the defining years of our lives. I inhabited a different world, as did she. Our priorities diverged; while she grappled with a foreign land, I navigated a new college in a different state. Consumed by my own life, I inadvertently took my dearest friend for granted. It wasn’t until 2020 that we reignited our friendship and began cohabiting.
We changed. We grew up. We were no longer the same people. We were entirely different people with distinct personalities. But also similar. She no longer felt like a little sister. We discovered our new personalities through the pandemic. We faced hardships as a team but fought like wild animals. We threw vegetables (yes, you read that right) at each other but also embraced our crazy selves together. In the process I started becoming like her and she like me.
It’s been 3 years since we rekindled and I am glad that she is still my best friend. And how could she not be, I pledged to care for her, protect her, declaring her mine when she was a mere twelve months old and I, a four-year-old. “Akka is here! Akka is your friend.”
To the Moolankuzhiyil Sahadevan of my life, one post cannot do justice or encapsulate our bond or the essence of who you are! You’ve endured the quirkiest twenty-five years on this planet. Here’s to more eccentric years ahead!
#HappyBirthday, with all my love!
