Bogus.

I am home after seven long years, this time for longer than usual period. My stay at home has become ‘a dive into childhood memories and fantasies’. I spent seven long years in Chandigarh, a far different world from my hometown Kullu, for my education. As a kid, I would  fantasize about having that one true best friend with whom I could share, laugh, cry, and swear by anything anytime, a friend who could be my partner in crime and folly.

Since I was home for long time my bhabhi requested that, I teach her boys until am here. I obliged. Yesterday was my first day with the boys, elder one studying in 3rd  and younger one in 1st. In about half an hour, I realized both are pretty smart. I cannot resist to have some fun when am with kids so I decided to take a short break. Somehow, they loved me and soon the boys were rolling laughing on floor with my mimicry, doing impressions of cartoon characters making funny faces etc. (Watching the boys’ love me so much, a movie started to play in my head; how fun and cool it would be to come everyday teach them and later play all sorts of games, go cycling, eating out and god knows what not). I had just started to fly with joy, it was then my bhabhi barged in and with no second thought smacked the elder one twice with a stick who was at that time bouncing on the floor. It was late for me to defend the kid. I did not utter a word neither did the boys. I felt a pinching pain in my heart (and angry for spoiling the sweet movie I was playing in my head) .Unfazed, bhabhi left the room threatening the kid not to make any more noise and better study. My eyes fixed on the boy’s innocent face I could see the tears rushing down his soft cheeks. Hoping that boy would stop crying out of embarrassment, I waited. What was I doing I thought to my self, he was still a kid not a teenager. I went up to him, brought him closer looked at his face (I almost wept, though somehow controlled) and whispered in his ears ‘don’t worry am here and this will never happen’. After this incident, we studied quietly for half an hour more. Nobody said anything. I left after having dinner with the kids. The kids were back to normal, playing. All the way to home I kept wondering why the thought of playing and having fun with the kids occurred to me at all? This does not happen to young normal people of my age. Or may be to only those who still long to have that one best friend. I was surprised the child in me still longed for a best friend.

If not anybody an imaginary friend would have been more than enough just like in movie ‘BOGUS’ :)