FRIENDSHIP DIARIES,PART 2,THE END

                                                             A  COLLEGE CANTEEN

The next day was fateful because we  experienced laziness after a day's sleep.Waking up was a struggle like Sisyphus rolling the stone up the steep hill.I was the first to wake up.It was 6.30 am.After a big yawn,I looked around the room. My shelf was filled with books and coins lying higgledy piggledy.With books and objects in a neat pile,Vivek's shelf showed neatness and order.I ventured out of the room.The cold air was being cut,as if by a needle dipped in honey,by the Ayyappa devotional songs by K.J.Yesudas,the legendary singer. The nearby temple played the same set of songs every morning for the  three years of our stay in the room.

Vivek woke up at 7 am.He removed the blanket from his body and got up with a yawn that was wide enough for three hornets to enter his mouth simultaneously.He was moving in the direction of the bathroom while I was outside,inhaling the fresh air.If there was anything that created a discordant note in the harmony of this serene musicality of the atmosphere,it was the barking of the dog of our neighbour.By the size of the dog,the sound it produced felt  uncanny.

''Buddy,you could have called me when you woke up.'',Viek said.

  I turned around and looked in his direction.''Sorry buddy,I only thought of not disrupting your sleep'',I replied.

He nodded, went inside,took a book of poems and began to read.Once entering the room,I took William Shakespeare's ''Hamlet.'After reading the 'To be or not to be soliloquy,I dropped the book on the table.

'Buddy,he is very philosophical.'

Who?

Hamlet.

He nodded his head and went back to reading.Nothing passed between us that morning till the fateful minute.That was when Vivek came of the bathroom in a towel that he tied around his waist after drying himself up.''Arun,your bathing is not ordinary.It is the grand bath of a Maharajah ('Neeraattu' in Malayalam).''

  I took a lot of  time to bathe.That was why Vivek made this coment.When we were out of the house,there were only fifteen minutes for us to reach the class before the deadline.After locking the door,Vivek threw the key at me.I kept it safely in the biggest folder of y bag.Breakfast was out of the question.Yet when we neared the N.S.S.Canteen,I asked hi -''Vivek,what about eating?.'' 

''Let's eat '' ,he said.Theory can be learnt any time,breakfast can only be eaten in the morning.So we started.As I was not interested in Dosa,which Vivek pronounced as 'Dosha',I ordered paratha.Sambar was free.

''Buddy,paratha is not good for your health,'' he warned.I knew this,but couldn't help it.We continued to eat,nodding the head at times.It was like terrorists having their breakfast in ''Baba Kalyani.''That was when Vinayak entered the room.

Vinayak was the Mahesh Babu material of our college.A six feet tall young man in T-Shirt and jeans slowly moved towards us.His neatly polished boots glittered in the sunlight that was entering the room through the side windows.He gave us one of his smile that made one of the beautiful girls in the campus to fall in love with him.

                   The end of Part 2.

FRIENDSHIP DIARIES 2,CONTINUATION.

                                                        CHANGANACHERRY TOWN

The landlord and landlady gave us one week time to decide on matters.Though I tried very hard to convince my mother,she was not ready to budge.It still felt like an uphill task till Vivek decided to intervene on Saturday when I phoned him.

''Buddy,I am coming there tomorrow.''

He reached home the next day in the afternoon.My mother gave him hot tea.Her hot tea felt lava hot to me.So I blew too hard into the cup.To my utter surprise,Vivek finished the beverage in three gulps.Now,let me take you to his exact sentences.

''Aunty,you know how hard it is for him to wake up at 4 am. and pedal all the way to Piravom in that bicycle.By allowing him to stay in that room,you are doing him a great service.''

My mother budged,at last.Sister and my mother have to stay in this home while I am away.Now,I can visit them only on weekends.Father will be away because of his work as a driver in K.S.F.D.C.,Thiruvananthapuram.He will be home only on some weekends.

Next week,we reached that home in Changanacherry.It was a Monday.There were two double storey houses in the vicinity, and I only noticed it that day. The landlord waxed eloquently about his plan to take two more people in that room.We felt numb when he gave us this grand plan.If it happens,it will be very much like a second wagon tragedy.The room was not spacious enough for two more people.

When the landlord was gone,Vivek took a blank sheet of  paper.

''Buddy,we have work to do before leaving for college.''

He started to scribble something in that paper.I inched closer to have a look.Paste,broom,mat e.t.c.

In the evening,we went to the Margin Free Market.The neat objects in the shop gave me a spine chilling dread for the first time.

That evening,we were quiet a sight for the people of that town.With pillows,mats,one bucket,a cup,a broom and many other objects that would make life in a room comfortable,we walked to our new  humble abode.Vivek had a confident look on his face while I sported a confused one.All this swift shopping spree was not present even in my wildest dreams.Back in the room,he said,''Buddy,we have to split the pay.Let us check it.''

He paid for most of the objects.I was clueless.It felt very much  like magician Samraj goggling his eyes and screming,''Vanishing Beauty Illusion.''

''And the jug costed?.'' 

I looked at the bill and said ,'25'.

After one hour of calculations and deliberations,we both stopped.Then,we started to talk freely about various things.After sometime,we switched of the light  and lay down.Then,we cracked jokes,talked about Superstar Mohanlal and commented about his latest films.Amidst laughter I asked him,''Can I keep the bill?.'' the laughter ended for some time.Howver,he let me keep it.We resumed talking and laughter.It continued till midnight.The word ''bill'' was not powerful enough to intervene in that friendship,which was a tryst we both were unknowingly making with destiny.