a collection of random things i thought of

will we be together?

"Oh lovely to see how much your daughter has grown up!", Keshav Dada exclaimed, "She was so little when we last saw her. Beta, do you remember your uncles?", he continued as he flashed a toothy smile to me.

"She must be! We held her when she was a baby!" said a joyous Bhaskar Dada.

I knew all of them. They were Baba's friends from the time he was in fifth grade. They used to be in different sections but lived in the same neighbourhood. Their friendship flourished with the time spent with each other over the growing years. On the last day of their school, all of them made a pact that even when the school years were over, they would still keep in touch. And look where they are now! Sitting in the living room with cups of hot tea in their hands with aroma taken over the room but not a single person was interested in it for what the good old times held.

Baba told me great stories when back in the day, their brotherhood had no boundaries. They were now almost at their retirement age but none had forgotten their friendship. They might have forgotten the files they needed to submit to their boss or they might have forgotten to check their watch when they were together sitting at the chai ki tapri where none had the time to lose but to relish.

I sometimes wonder what would it be like when we all grew up. Will we all be together like them? Laughing at the top of our lungs at the most vague memory of our silly acts in our childhood.

I see them talking and smiling with their teeth wide as they take a trip down memory lane of the time when they punctured the tyre of the scooter of their school headmaster, threw rocks at the mango trees in the backyard of their neighbour, got scolded by their teacher and stood together outside the classroom with their hands surrendered in air and knees on the floor and listened to Kishore Kumar's latest songs over the radio as they devoured the Roti Sabzi made by grandmother.

Bittersweet remembrance of school engulfed their mind.

I wonder if we would be just like them. Will we be able to tell unlimited and beautiful stories to the little ones like they do? Will we be as happy as they are when they are together? Will we be able to fulfil the pact like they did? Will we still be friends even when the school years are over? Will we still be together?

I looked at the pictures of my friends, hand in hand with the most foolish expressions on our faces as tears of happiness rolled down our cheeks and our stomachs hurt from the excessive laughing at the incidents we reminisced about that day.

Time begins ticking faster when people you love and cherish are together.

The sharing of tiffins, exchange of gifts at birthdays, copying each other's assignments, treats at the canteen, struggling to click one normal picture, trying our best to not burst out laughing during a presentation in the class and memories which will never be erased.

Then I thought that...

Maybe we are them now.