The meaning of friendship on a cold winter morning....

Early morning. Sometime around 6:15 AM.

Maybe I should just call it off. It's too cold in the morning to climb a hill. And too early too. Plus, I was having such a nice dream. I should call it off. Think, think of an excuse. Hmm, I'm sick. No, I..err... I hurt myself. But how? Naa... I overslept. Yes. Perfect. Believable too. I'm sure it's expected from me. It's so convenient being myself at times.

I stared at the ceiling above. I tried falling back to sleep, by snuggling deeper into my blanket and trying to remember what I was dreaming about. But, it was of no use. As expected, the phone rang.
"You awake right?", she asked.

"Ofcourse. As fresh as a daisy!", I chirped.

"Really? Anyway, see you at 7. SHARP!", she said.

"Ofcourse! I'm up and ready. Well, still got to brush, but don't you worry. I'll be there.", I sang into the phone.

I rolled in my bed for a few minutes, contemplating actually getting out.

Get up. It's good to be awake early in the morning. Exercise. Health is wealth. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, sorry woman,healthy, wealthy and wise. Wow, I mused, my brain is gender correct in the morning. I was mildly impressed with myself.

By the time, I got out of bed, exactly 30 seconds after the completion of the "Healthy, Wealth, Wise" thought, I was singing and dancing. I spun. I bounced. I made faces in the mirror and admired the messy out of bed look.

I shouldn't comb my hair today. Look at those curls. There might be a very good looking guy hiking. Do good looking guys climb the hill in the morning?Ah, I might just get lucky. I look so happy. Bubbly bubbly. Is pink champagne really that tasty? Damn, dry skin. Where is that new lotion Mom bought? Hm.. shoot.. time to brush.
I brushed my teeth in rhythm to the latest Hindi pop songs.

I should go clubbing.But nothing beats bathroom dancing.
After I was assured I had done justice to my teeth and gums, I rummaged through my wardrobe to find something warm to wear.

God, Mom is right. I DO have too many clothes. Where's the red sweater?
I was ready when I received the customary "I'm leaving, you better be there when I reach" missed call.

As I stepped into the cold winter morning, I was instantly happier! It was a beautiful morning. Blue sky and I could make those fog cloud thingies. You know where you exhale and there's a nice cloud formation in front of your mouth? Ok yeah, so you know.

I skipped. Smiling to myself. I probably looked like an idiot, but I honestly didn't care. As long as there was no good looking guy around which, after an extensive survey of the neighbourhood, I knew wasn't.

I reached on time, and did a small victory dance for myself. Minutes later, my friend joined me and we started hiking.

Our talks were the usual.
Life. Friends. Parents. Movies. Romance. Boys. Money. Marriage. THE boy.

We laughed, remembering the silly things of the past. We took each others case over the stupid things we had done, and congratulated each other on the small, non-significant achievements which only your friends can truly appreciate.

These talks, however common they are, take a different, steeper meaning when you are with someone who has been with you for a long time and has seen you change, and appreciated the same.

There was nothing extraordinary in that morning maybe. I'm sure the sky was always as blue, and the wind just as cold, and morning air just as clean. I'm also sure we didn't speak about things we had never spoken about before or already knew.

We walked the same route, stopped at the same place, and drank chai at the same shed.


And yet, suddenly, everything felt lighter and brighter.

Pure friendship. A nice thing, I tell you.