FRIENDS FOREVER

FRIENDS FOREVER

Vidisha, Muha and Richa were losers in every sense of word ‘lose’. The three of them were bookworms so isolated from outside that they wouldn’t knew if a third world war broke in or if the century changed. Vidisha and Richa were well satisfied with this stationery book ridden life but it wasn’t so for Muha who was different from her two best friends as she felt it to be incomplete with those 26 English alphabets, which carry so much in itself but at last comes to be ordinary 26 alphabets.

During one fine lunch break Muha convinced the other two to chat with other girls, whom Muha adored solemnly, labeling them as 'super cool' in spite of their extraordinary negligence to books. The group however was hardly a group of friends but it was a group of servants around negatively domineering Sanha.

For that day the three girls got a hearty welcome from the group partially because three commanded respect for their high grades and partially because Sanha and group were always ready to welcome anyone because of Sanha’s desire and desperation to be center of attraction and so more were the people around better was attention gathering process.

But simple Vidisha and Richa didn’t enjoy the company for they neither knew nor cared for Bollywood celebrities’ engagements or about the new collection in Fashion Street. But Muha was awfully interested at the same impressed in this kind of ‘fashionable’ life she adorned and wanted to live and soon the time accelerated too quickly and Muha’s friends party showed a drastic change with her full school time being spent with Sanha’s ‘super cool’ group.

One such day disgusted Vidisha and Richa came to Muha. Richa fondly pressed Muha’s hand and inquired gently, “Were we anywhere wrong?” Muha rudely  said ‘No” Vidisha again asked in a doting manner, “Then what has happened to you?” Muha still crudely said, “Why? Nothing.I am fine and happy” she emphasized the last word but Vidisha still asked, “Why don’t you spend time with us now?” Muha shouted at top of her voice, “okay fine if you want listen, do you know what silly girls you are? Like robots in junkyard all you know is to read and write IT’S PEOPLE LIKE Sanha who know really what life is. Thanks Heaven, I met her and left your idiotic company, in time.”

Sanha called out from distance “Muha are you coming or want to stay with these teacher’s pet?’’ Muha replied in a sweet made up kind of  voice, “Just a second buddy” Vidisha and Richa didn’t want to hear more they just turned round and walked as fast as they could, controlling the leaking emotions with violent efforts.

Once again having Muha under her comamnd Sanha pulled her arms around Muha’s shoulder and asked sweetly, “What about exams darling, are you prepared for coming mid terms?” Muha satisfactory replied, “I am well prepared.” 

Sanha gave a mean smile and said in a business like tone “Good! Because you know, I’ll need help.” Muha kindly told “Okay if you are not able to learn or understand anything I would gladly help you.” Sanha clicked her tongue and shook her head, “You don’t understand! I don’t mean that help it’s that help” she forced the later ‘that’ but Muha still looked blank. Sanha patiently explained “I mean your help not before exams but during the exam now you do understand?” Muha exclaimed, “You mean cheating!” Sanha tilted her neck and smiled.

Now- now- now the silly Muha was in a fix she had fought her two real friends just a few moments before realising that all Sanha had been doing was using her to pass the year,  she was further  informed, “If I’ll get good marks this time father would take me and one of friends to water park and off course you take all credit to my success so I hope we both will spend a weekend there” and with a menacing chuckle she was off.

Muha would off course enjoy water park ‘s rides and it’s sophisticated things and she knew the tickets will cost a real fortune but still CHEATING it would insult her every moral and her values will be lost in a snap of fingers resulting a question mark to her own self but than she knew she had no other option.

On the examination day the insane girl was dead nervous it wasn’t that she was nervous about  but it was Sanha’s tormenting pressure haunting her mind and to her worst nightmare Sanha was seated just parallel to her.

The exam started but after accelerated first hour Snaha’s interruption broke in “psss…ss.tt listen, here! pass me the sheet.” Muha checked the examiner well turned and trembling she passed the first sheet, so she did with the 3rd and 5th but  as Sanha was returning her sheets, Muha became sure it wasn’t her day as that very moment the examiner turned back and shouted, “Muha –Sanha what are you both up to” and he snatched sheets from Sanha’s hand, “Good heavens you girls are cheating like this. Both of you come to Principal’s office immediately”

But as nervous girl and her so called friend were being dragged to Principal’s office a voice came from behind “EXCUSE ME ma’am.”
“Not now, Vidisha.”
“It’s important. really” Vidisha insisted.
“Okay what?” examiner asked impatiently.
“It wasn’t Muha who was cheating it was me who was asking for sheet”
"For my sake!”  Clicked in Richa’s voice, “Then why did Sanha have sheet?” Examiner demanded.
Richa explained “You see Sanha and Muha are sitting in-between so I asked Sanha to ask Vidisha to pass me the sheet” and the examiner noticed their parallel seats.
Examiner ordered, “All 4 of you bring your answer sheets and explain if it was you both Vidisha and Richa cheating and they both were just linkers then how come Muha’s handwritten sheets come in circulation. Come 4 of you to Principal’s office while Mrs. Risha will take charge of examination room.”

After Examiner had explained everything to the Principal.  the first thing he did was to burst into fits of laughter, “Such a friendship- such one what do you think you girls were doing? Do you both Vidisha and Richa really think that you’ll save these two from trouble by taking blame? I am an experienced man and out of it I know it was Sanha who asked Muha for sheet. Now you both (he turned towards Vidisha and Richa) go to your class and stop backing up for culprits the one who is wrong is wrong. And as per you two I’ll give you the last chance and tomorrow you’ll be re-examined and the one who pass can continue in school.”

Muha tearfully left Principal’s office and sat on school bench and cried mournfully regretting her childish behavior in her tormented tears. Vidisha and Richa came to her after the exam and Muha sobbed, “I’m –I’m sorry – I’m ---really so—rry for my foolishness and….for my blindness to….. Sob.. Friendship… really I don’t- …I don’t… deserve to be your friend”

Vidisha wiped her tears and cheerfully said, “Come on now forget it, it’s all over now! it was all just between friends.” Muha still miserable asked, “You still call me your FRIEND” Richa assured, “would we have risked her heads for you if we weren’t your friends? Listen Whatever might come we’ll all be friends forever!” she continued “AND one more thing we have decided to leave our books for sometime and do other stuff we realize how boring it was to just study- study and study” So there you might have guessed that after that there friendship became deep- deeper and deepest and the three became happy –happier and happiest

                                                                                            -Manika Jain