When the Tides Change

It was a pristine white apartment. The hall led to a little corridor with rooms on either sides. The two inhabitants on the left side of the corridor were my friends. I wanted to scream out in my excitement to meet them, but did not as the inhabitants on the right side of the corridor were strangers I scarcely knew.

I knocked at their door and was greeted with a hug from one and a fist bump from another. We chatted for a while and then proceeded to go out for a meal. We had a lovely time pulling each others legs. As I returned to their apartment that evening to collect my belongings, I said a 'Hello' to the inhabitants on the right side of the corridor. They smiled and we exchanged pleasantries.

Friendship is a funny thing, you meet someone and strike off a conversation. You spend more time and get used to their company. You think of some as close enough to be your brides man (Bride's maid isn't a good term to use on male friends). When you just begin to have some hope out of the friendship, something happens and you start to question your judgement (or lack of it).

As for my two friends, my friendship with them came to an abrupt halt. One had other priorities and replaced all the people in his life in a sudden swift move over a weekend. He did it with such sharpness and efficiency. I had gone home for the weekend and came back to find a lost friend. The other stayed friends for six more months before he drifted off and cut me off his life.

They aren't enemies nor are they friends. They are strangers with memories. The difference between a stranger you haven't encountered and a stranger with memories is that the latter makes your heart strings tug at each other when you brush past them. You are unsure if you should say hello (They aren't enemies) or whether your should brush past them with an air of unawareness (they aren't friends either).

It is said that if people know each other for seven years, it signifies that the friendship will last a lifetime. While I initially believed that time is not a parameter to last the strength of a friendship, I have come to believe that it is a parameter. Friends from school whom I have known for almost two decades continue to remain friends though I seldom meet them. They might be distant but they are still friends.

Despite my initial reluctance to get out of my comfort zone and make friends again, I have found the process of knowing a person and sharing your time with them enjoyable. I have made new friends. The invisible scar of being cut off abruptly has healed and I have come to terms with the fact that not all friendships are meant to last several years, let alone a lifetime.

Today, at the same white apartment (no longer very pristine), I stand at the corridor. The hall leads to a little corridor with rooms on either sides. The inhabitants are the same. The two inhabitants on the right side of the corridor are my friends. I wanted to scream out in my excitement to meet them, but did not as the inhabitants on the left side of the corridor were strangers I knew. They were Strangers with Memories.

Note : While the story remains largely true, some facts have been mildly exaggerated or removed for the sake of putting across the point.