“I am not going, that’s final! She has ruined my life, Ma! Everyone is going to laugh at me and mock me wherever I go… you have to change my school if you want me to complete my education.” Her nostrils never flared before, this was really some big trouble, O Boy! Tara thought.

“You cannot not go and we’re not moving you to any other school. Now, you have some problems with your friend sort them out… talk to her and return to normalcy, please! I know it is very frustrating and seems like there can be nothing worse but believe me, things can get worse, and right now you’re in paradise compared to what could have happened. You’re not a child anymore Jo, four years and you will be in a college, are you going to run away like that when the stakes are high then too?”,

It was all funny but Tara knew how important all this seemed at Jo’s age. “Now, shona, go and wear that uniform of yours and move, if you miss the bus, you’ll have to walk all the way.”

“Oh! How can you be so insensitive! I don’t want to wear that uniform, never! The dull grey colour reminds me of how ruined my life is now… what is Rajiv going to think about me?”

Tara was quick to react, “Who is Rajiv?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nobody! I’d better get dressed if I don’t want to walk all the way to that darned school…”

Tara could have laughed out loud, but she knew it would only beckon her little drama queen at her best again. How cute all this was… did she herself have so much trouble back then, she thought, not really! She had still kept her last school uniform neatly at the back of the cupboard; she decided she’d check on it after the drama queen leaves the building.

She was still thinking about her own school days when it was late afternoon. Jo had her Annual Day practice so she was going to be late. Tara took a break from her never-ending chores and opened her cupboard… she neatly got all the clothes out of the shelf-

There it was… her last uniform. How she hated it when she had to wear it! Now she could only wish to fit into it. She had cried at her Farewell in school, many did. Behind where the uniform hung, was a wooden box, she reached for it. There were old photographs neatly stacked-

Her class in VII Standard… she was right in the middle row grinning-

“Don’t make me laugh, Ritu! I will kill you if you spoil this pic-“, Tara muttered under her breath.

“What am I doing?! Gosh! Look at Priya, does she think the photographer is going to ask her for a professional photo shoot!”

“Shut up! Oh My! Look at Sayli I can count all those thirty two yellow ones! Doesn’t she ever brush?”, it took all her might to not burst out laughing there. She was so jealous of Ritu, how in the world did she manage to keep from laughing… she could actually giggle all that she wanted right under the teachers’ nose without anyone coming to know about what she was upto. But Tara, whenever there was a joke was ever a secret joke between them, heaven help, she would always get into trouble with the teacher in the class at that time. She had made some commendable enemies in the staff room in the past three years.

Somehow both of them had managed to keep their laughter in check, yet, both of them had the biggest grins. They were inseparable… well, for a long time, they were. It’s weird how things that seemed so important once are only vain and silly later, she thought. They had pledged to be friends forever.

The next picture was that of a stage where some kids around fourteen or fifteen in Elizabethan costumes with painted faces stood in elaborate poses. It was a play that both had worked in, “Lady Windermere’s Fan”. She was Lady Windermere and Ritu, Mrs. Erlene. It was during this time that things went terribly wrong. Ritu liked the boy playing Lord Windermere.

“You are such a lucky B-I-T-C-H! I wanted to be Lady Wind-in-hair!”, sighed Ritu,

“Ritu! Spelling the word out doesn’t make it less sinful. You might as well use the word! And it’s Windermere… honestly, why do you even like him. He’s such a geek and he can’t even speak properly. You know, the other day, he couldn’t even pronounce ‘lovely’!”

“Oh please! He is one of the brightest students in his batch… and he is so cute!! He looks like Clint East-"

“DON’T even say it… he doesn’t!”, Tara asserted with such disgust she might as well have gotten herself purified in the Ganges.

It was one of their last conversations. The day they had to perform the play, Tara unwittingly told Roy about how Tara had a huge crush on her… all that was kind of hazy in her head now. She’d rather forget about it, she regretted telling him that. She didn’t even remember why she did it now. But she remembered clearly how Ritu started ignoring her and never spoke to her again. They did have a show down once, at the camp that year. It was all so painful that Tara didn’t think she could ever forgive Ritu for calling her such names with so many people around watching!

A smile crept on Tara’s lips now, sitting cross legged on the floor with her school uniform on her lap and old photographs in her hands. With eyes shining she tucked away all the photographs back into the box and the uniform at the back of the cupboard. She went to the kitchen for some hot lemon tea.

They ended up in the same college with different groups of friends. They were enemies now, ofcourse. The cold-war eventually spread throughout the two groups. Ritu’s was the chic chicks and Tara’s the Boho ones and then there were snide remarks, comments and gossips flying in all directions. Things change!

She was flicking the channels without the slightest interest. She was feeling restless, she hadn’t felt like that since high school. It was all so silly to think of all this now. Where was Ritu now? She had changed her college in after the junior years. Last heard she was working at a well known magazine. She’d knew Ritu would make it well in media, she was the creative one. They always went with her ideas when they got into trouble. The thought made Tara giggle and then she sighed. What wouldn’t she give to know what would have happened if things were still good between them. Would they still be friends? Both of them were so fond of babies, Tara knew she would love to spend time with Jo. She would have liked and approved of Ajay for a husband. God! They used to tell each other about everything, didn’t they?

-Sigh- This has to stop! She was thirty four! Hardly the age to sigh like a teenager… Gosh! She now knew where Jo got her drama queen talents from. That’s that! She opened the telephone directory and searched for Daljeet Saran, Ritu’s father.

“Hello? Uncle, I am Tara, Ritu’s friend… is she around?”, this was the craziest thing Tara had asked since the time when she had asked the doctor at the maternity hospital if there was any way he could suck the baby through a hose to stop the pain. Well, at least then she was half demented due to the pain!

“No beta, she is married now, don’t you know? It has been six years now!”, Tara now knew why Ritu made so many jokes on Punjabi accents.

“Oh! I didn’t know, we kind of fell out of touch. Uncle, can you give me her contact number?”

“Sure take it down…”

About half an hour later, Tara picked up the receiver and punched the number. She waited with bated breath till someone picked up the phone… no one did. She sighed for like the thirtieth time since morning and returned the phone to its cradle.

At around four, Jo came in hopping.

“You know what! Forget whatever I said in the morning… I love this school and I love you!”, she hadn’t bear hugged her mother in months now. “I love you too, sweetie! Now, go and freshen up, I’ll get you something to dig in!”, Tara drifted to the kitchen, at least someone was happy.

“Ma!! There’s a call for you…”, Jo yelled out. She had to get her ears checked, Tara thought to herself as she picked up the receiver.

“I am sorry I called you a mean, back-stabbing bitch! I really didn’t mean it… but I was ang-“

“RITU! How are you? And I am sorry I told Roy what’s-his-name that you had a crush on him… I don’t even remember why I told him that!”

“I am great!! And, we’ve been jerks… how are you? Are you married? What happened with that geek you went out with in the college?”

“Oh! Long story… I am married and I have a daughter, Jyoti, she is in the sixth now… gosh! It’s been years! I was just going through my old snaps-“

“Oh! You have them! I think I kind of misplaced mine!! I am so glad you still have them. Jyoti… that’s a lovely name, Tara.”, her voice cracked a bit.

“I am sorry I used that one… I knew you wanted to keep your daughter’s name Jyoti too!”

“No, that’s alright… I have a three year old son, Kaeyur… It was Rishi’s choice ofcourse…”

“Oh my God!! Rishi! That’s him! Rishi Roy! You’re married to Rishi Roy! I cant believe it!”, it was weird laughing and crying at the same time but she loved every minute of it.

“Long story...Tara, can we meet please? There is so much to tell… so much catching up to do!”

"Of course! Five? The Café near Lokhandwala?”

"Yep! On my way... can't wait!"