Heartbreak and Ice Cream

Light-hearted banter between two friends walking down the road

It was a typical Friday evening. After a long day at the office, we decided to take a leisurely stroll through the bustling streets of Malviya Nagar, while the rest of Delhi danced to the beats of club DJs.

They say that as you age, friendship isn’t just about sharing joys but also being there through the sorrows. You see, we both had broken up recently from serious relationships, feeling adrift. Midway through our walk, we decided to treat ourselves to ice cream and feel some solace from our pain.

After all, what sorrow in this world can’t be cured by ice cream?

Okay, fine. Not all sorrows.

“I can’t believe you’ve moved on from her so quickly,” I said.

He sighed deeply. “I haven’t. Trust me.”

“Do you ever really get over someone truly?” I asked, partly because a part of me didn’t prefer to get over him.

He paused, his eyes reflecting a mix of nostalgia and clarity. “Yes, I believe you can,” he finally said. “Sure, there’s always some baggage — memories of what you crafted together. But over time, that baggage starts gathering dust in some forgotten corner of your heart and you would rather not access it. Eventually, you will see, it becomes a relic of the past.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I could see he clung to hope. “What if a sudden wind blows away all that dust?” I questioned.

Caught off guard, he paused, reflecting. “Aah, that’s true. You know what often plays the role of that wind?”

I thought of saying ‘the mind’ or ‘our thoughts or memories’, or something along those lines — but I held back, curious about his perspective.

“It’s Google Photos! You wake up, grab your phone, and the first thing you see is ‘3 years ago: Rediscover this day!’ And just like that, it all comes rushing back.”

At that, both of us burst into laughter.

He showed me the collage, and at that moment, I realized that perhaps this baggage wasn’t entirely a burden. After all, it brought a smile to his face.