Tu Hi Yaar Mera

4. Always worth it!

“The longer you wait for something, the more you appreciate it when you get it. Because anything worth having is always worth the wait.”

~ Unknown

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“PRABHU!!”

An anxious scream was heard with a loud thud the moment Sanskaar opened the door next morning and he instantly jumped back, retreating himself away from the door.

“What the…” was the only thing he could say before finding out someone sprawled all across his front door, joining his hands in front of him in the exact position of ‘shashtang dandwat pranam’. And he knew exactly who that was!

“Sanskaar, what happened? I heard…” Sujata, who came out running on hearing the unusual holler, was too stunned to speak anything further as she found someone lying in front of her son as if he considered Sanskaar his master, the sole reason for his existence. “Wait. Is that?”

Sanskaar took a deep breath massaging the bridge of his nose as he glared down at his only friend in the entire of Siliguri, “Lucky, get up!” he ordered and all he received in response was a vigorous shake of his friend’s head as he refused to get up, no matter what. This guy lying down there was one stubborn specimen God had created twenty seven years ago. Well then, he wasn’t any less stubborn either!

Sanskaar sighed rolling his eyes, “Laksh Dilsher Ahuja, get up or I will seriously kick your face.” He threatened looking down only to find a pair of pleading eyes staring up at him as if his life depended on him. Sanskaar knew that look very well. He definitely wanted something! And whenever Laksh asked him to do something, it ended up in nothing but a disaster!

“No,” was the only thing Sanskaar said before turning around and making his way back inside, and Laksh whined just like a kid who’s favorite candy was being snatched away. Well, he was no less than a kid either!

“Please! You haven’t even asked what I want,” he shouted as he ran inside right after Sanskaar and Sujata chuckled. After all these excruciating two years, Laksh had been the only person who managed to make Sanskaar smile. He was well aware of all that had happened, so, Laksh, or Lucky as Sanskaar called him, always tried to do something crazy just to see a smile on his friend’s face. If she had to say that Laksh was Sanskaar’s best friend then that would not be an exaggeration.

“I haven’t because I don’t want to know what you want. Isn’t that obvious?” said Sanskaar trying to glare at Laksh as he tied the kitchen apron around his waist before starting with the breakfast, but that look on Laksh’s face seemed like melting him down. He didn’t know why but Sanskaar just couldn’t stand seeing Laksh with a sad face.

“Aunty…” Laksh dragged his puppy eyes look towards Sujata now. He knew it quite well that this look was his ultimate weapon when it came to mothers, be it either his or Sanskaar’s. Sujata let out a small laugh as she walked towards him, “Looks like Bhavana has cooked something quite delicious today. You seem so full of energy early in the morning, Laksh.”

“Nah! I’m dying out of hunger over here. Maa has not even started making the breakfast but I’m so glad that my friend is so talented. He will surely not let me die out of hunger,” Laksh, yet again, gave that innocent eye look to him and Sanskaar squinted his eyebrow looking at him and then with a shake of his head resumed chopping his vegetables again.

Ouch! That had surely hurt!

Laksh seemed apparently heartbroken on his friend’s ignorance but Sanskaar knew him all too well. He was anything but heartbroken! All of this victim play was just to make Sanskaar feel guilty and get his thing done.