Two Friends: Lost and Found

Socrates, a deep philosopher from Athens quotes friendship as ‘Be slow to fall into friendship but when thou art in, continue firm and constant’.

It was a lovely evening in my hometown, with low clouds and the promise of rain. The air was fresh and it had started to be chilly on the terrace where I was sipping on a hot cup of tea, adoring nature.

The doorbell rang and standing there was a shopkeeper who runs a grocery shop right outside our house with an envelope in his hand, it was for my father. When my father opened the envelope, there was a message inside which read, your old friend, Ram Lal, and a mobile number. There was a smile on my fathers’ face as he read it. Upon asking who is the message from, my father told me ecstatically that it is from an old school-time friend and they haven’t seen each other in almost thirty years. My father was surprised and wondered how his friend found him after so many years.

My father called the number on the message and there he was on the other end of the line, my father’s friend Ram Lal. They began chatting about how long it has been since they had talked with each other. There was excitement in his voice while he talked to him and asked him how did he manage to locate him after many years and who would have thought both of them would be reconnecting again one day.

Ram Lal replied I was looking for you for quite some time. A few months back I was traveling across Shimla and thought about our friendship. He told my father that he came looking for him at the old address and that he had inquired about his whereabouts with the locals.

He said that when he went to the address, he came to know that you still visit there once in a while and that you have shifted to New Delhi. I was happy to know that as I myself had been living in the same city for quite some time. He said, I handed over the message to the shopkeeper outside your house and asked him to give it to you whenever you were in town next. The message reached you and I am so happy that you called said, Ram Lal.

It was interesting for me to witness how an old friendship can still thrive and how friends find ways to find each other again and reconnect.

Both of them chitchatted for some time and they planned to meet since they were in the same city now.

The two friends finally decided to meet at his house in New Delhi. Me and my sister tagged along as we wanted to witness the conversation about their school days.

The moment we reached his residence there he was waiting for us with all smiles. My father and his friend hugged each other and he welcomed us inside his home. My father and his friend talked about their school days and their teachers and how their lives had been in the past thirty years.

I think about the time, they both had spent together as friends in school, and for a long time not knowing where the other one is, had not created any gap or negative feelings in their friendship.

Nowadays we do not make the effort of reconnecting with our old friends. Our lives have become so hectic that we don’t have time for friendships let alone have time for ourselves.

They were lucky to have found each other’s company once again and I can say as I have witnessed, it is the best feeling ever.