ghosts of a bygone buddy

12 years ago..
in class 1 C, JAwahar Vidyalaya..

There was pin drop silence in the class of 48 monsters. All eyes were fixed upon 2 figures in the front of the room besides the teachers'vacant desk. THe air was filled with hostility and hatred. Proud and valiant with hair all wild and loose from a long undone plait, a huge black crease of correlium slashed across her small forehead, deeply wrinked and dirty pinoform clinging to her tiny frame, stood a girl facing an opponent twice her size and weight. She was my model of Xena,the warrior princess. The villain, the class bully, Parthiban circled around her watchfully and began the bloodshed with a fist on her face.Her howl was the cry of wild bull ready to kill. In a lightning fast movement, she jumped on her enemy's back, tearing at his hair. The fight has begun.

This is my friend of the past 15 years.Always ready for a fight, she was the terror queen of our class and my best friend. She was also my sole protector,defending my unberably shy and timid self against anyone who dared to taunt me in my trying, difficult childhood. Most of all, she was my role model(a solemn heroine who steals from her enemies, huge crayons n pencils to distribute amogst her allies,the voiceless )We swore to be blood buddies till we die.

Alas, fate couldnt help but challenge the strength of our friendship.Barely managing to pass the 2nd grade and having failed 3rd grade, my friend was moved to a different school. Yet, we kept in touch, true to our promise, even if we were not that blood buddies.

1 day ago:
I walked into my house, dead tired after driving in a monstrous Chennai traffic and drenched wet in the rain. Enters Xena (now clad in a neat salwar, pinned dupatta, long plaited hair, adorned with matching earning,necklace, bangles,rings, a new additional nose ring, and a purse)

me :HI!! HOW ARE YOU?! been such a long time..

xena: HEY Aarthi!ya.m fine.how r u?! well, m not speaking to u, dint even inform me that u came back! u ve changed a lot! A LOT! Look at you..OMG..wat have u done to ur hair? i hate it..(cries in horror)I so hate it.

me: just an unsuccesful experiment, it 'll grow back.chuck it.tell me, hows college?

xena: shut up. u ve changed so much.OMG! y are ur nails so long! wat r u? a tiger? its do dirty..Aunty, look at this..tell her to cut it NOW. wat u wearing! Aunty!send her shopping with me once. u r in college for God's sake. (pulls my ear and scrutinises it.) not wearing a earing! wre r those long lovely ones i got for u last time?
rants about my pitiful appearance, lack of dressing skills, pathetic sense of fashion for the next 15 min. pauses for a breath.
continues..
hey u gotto c this..my new diamond nosering. my mom got fr me for passing all my exams!its beautiful isnt it?! to think that i was last in my class to get my nose pierced!
runs over to my mom in kitchen to flash the tiny blob

after giving me a few blissful moments of privacy and peace,comes back to me.

gosh! its late..gotto head back. come, drop me home! cant travel alone..its already past 8 and the streets r dark..u kno, there is a psycho roaming around Chennai these days..cant go alone at all in nights! come on..

A mild migrane was already forming on my head. I dragged my beaten body to do us both a favour and marched her home. I managed to come back alone yet safe,caught in a daze more frightening than any phychos let loose , marvelling at the ways life can change a body, the ghosts of my friend,philosopher and mentor still haunting my mind.