BONDING WITH FRIENDS

It’s interesting how friends bond over a gulp of water left in one friend’s gym bag, some chewing gum flicked from another friend’s left pocket, and some utterly useless conversations like- “Who was which animal in their past life.”

You laugh. You laugh so hard that your eyeballs pop out. Then follows a silence, just enough to fill your lungs with some air before you burst into another riot of laughter.
It’s amusing to know that everyone is as bored as you are on a particular day. That is enough reason to meet up. So, you shamelessly invite yourselves to your friend’s place. Each one grabs a corner, wriggles into their comfort zones while the host tries hard to make some place for himself.

You warm your seats for hours together, refusing to lift a finger, avoiding visits to the loo lest your seat be taken. Here, you spend time observing each other’s physical attributes and ‘vital stats’ is not one of them. So, you sit and count the number of pimples on one friend’s face, note the receding hairline of another friend. Right from who has more hair on their legs to who’s got a bigger paunch, from the smallest butt to the loudest fart, it has all been carefully observed and discussed in detail.

Birthdays play a very important role in friendship because here you bond over cakes. Delicious cakes!

Well, it’s about to hit 12:00 am in another ten minutes but you don’t care. The Jing-Bang turns up at the birthday boy’s place at 1:00 am without a cake, as usual. Since, he knows that it is foolish to expect cake and presents, he buys one himself. He opens the cake box then goes in to fetch a knife and candle. When he returns, the cherries are gone, the chocolate flakes have disappeared and someone’s already tasted the cream. He doesn’t bother. He just lights the candle. The lights are switched off. One friend blows the candle, the other cuts the cake while the birthday boy claps his hands and sings the birthday song. Yes, that evening he gives you a treat too.

The late nights that involve lighting candles in the church, celebrating every party like it’s new years, long drives, mid-night ice-creams, watching movies up to 3:00 am and later caring to play stupid board games. Thanks to Maggi noodles, quick and filling, for keeping you alive through these nights.

Cheers!

P.S: This one is dedicated to apna building ka public with a lot of love.