Sammy benji one shot- best friends are forever

 

Benji slowly walked down the streets of new York in his baggy pants, checkered shirt, tie, a old cap and a snow white beard which was forming on his skin. His skin on the cheeks had wrinkled up completely and patches of grey had formed all over his hands and neck. Walking now seemed more of an effort then fun. And it was tough for him to walk straight, he stooped low in his efforts to walk.

Tired of walking so much he stopped at  the char minar cafe, the closest Indian restaurant to his place in new York. As soon as he entered his vision blurred slightly, old age symptoms he told himself. And went to look for a seat. He took a seat beside a group of young guys, probably around 20 or 22 sitting and joking around. And as he saw them laughing and hi fiving each other at their own little secrets he felt a slow smile play over his lips, and various memories flashed in his mind, of samrat, a guy he had known from the very first day at kindergarten till he had gone off with his wife, gunjan for the NBA series in new York.

He could still remember so well the relation they had maintained even after 50 years. It had been one of the most beautiful relations he had ever had with anybody ever.

Even today after nearly 75 years he could recall that first day at kindergarten when he had met samrat.

It had been a sunny morning, my mom had slowly carried me to the school gates and then at a peculiar and stranger face she had put me down and had greeted the old woman with a gracious smile. I lookd at the old woman to see whether i knew her, but no avail, she was no one i recognized. So i turned to my mom to ask her about the woman when suddenly i saw my mum picking up her handbag and leaving, i started running towards her not wanting to be left behind with this stranger. But suddenly the stranger caught hold of me in her arms and bade my mom good bye. I started hollering in an effort to beseech my mom to come back, not to leave me with this stranger. And suddenly thoughts of mundaneness started hovering through my mind. What if shes a ghost? A madness filled ghost who.. who wants to eat me? And i struggled against her strong grip hollering even more.

And slowly she carried me towards a room, which i was sure to be the room of the stove where she would cook me and eat me up whole. But when the contents of the room came insight i was ever more surprised and i prayed to god. God this woman is a witch, if she needs so many kids to fulfil her taste. And i started hollering again. She slowly put me down beside a sweet looking, innocent faced kid, who helped me on my seat. And then she left leaving me confused.

The teachers slowly handed us white A4 sized sheets and asked us to draw something. I had no crayons but when i looked at the cute looking kid beside me he had already started coloring. I kept looking at his drawing, it looked like my dad with the ball i play with and the basket. My dad playing basketball? But how does he know my dad?

I slowly nudged him on his knee and asked him with a curiousness unknown- tum mele papa ko kaise jaante ho?

The guy- main tumhaale papa ko nahi jaanta.

He said with such exceeding innocence that it was unbelievable.

Benji- to ye kaun hai?

He asked pointing at the picture he had drawn.

The guy- ye.. isko to main nahi jaanta. Ye to aise hi.

He said and smiled.

Benji- waise mela naam benji hai. Tumhaala naam kya hai?

The guy quickly turned around and said with his 2 cute dimples flashing on his cheeks- mela naam samlaat hai. tum mele dost banoge?

He said with a look of hope and expectation in his eyes.

That had been the beginning. After that day almost everyday they would sit together in kindergarten. Slowly it even sank in that the old woman was more of an angel than a witch. And for the first time in my life something other than my family felt like home.

As time passed our bonds became more strong. Samrat would always be around when i needed him the most and i would be there for him. He would protect me from the seniors, and i would help him finish his work after his basket ball practice, i even used to practice basketball with him, although not of the same outstanding talent that he possessed, but i guess it had been fun.

Slowly we entered college when samrats parents decided that their kid had grown up, and had left him, starving for love.

We would meet up every now and then and talk always having fun and parties. But soon our lifes changed when the morena sisters and shheeeee- naaaa entered college. Samrat got stuck in a love triangle between sheena and gunjan, well obviously by now you got to know that samrats not as dumb as we all thought. He chose gunjan.

A few years later, late in the night samrat came over to my place with all his stuff packed and gunjan seated in the car.

Samrat- benji guess what dude, mujhe.. mujhe nba MEIN MIL GAYA HAI!

He shouted and hugged me tight.

I felt strangely empty inside when he said those words. Although i knew it was his childhood dream to get there, yet i couldn't feel the happiness he was feeling.

As soon as he let go of me, i forced a smile and said- waapas kab aayega?

At this the shine in his eyes slightly faded- pata nahi benji!

i could feel the emptiness converge over me as i asked trying hard not to cry- waapas nahi aayega na?

Samrat gave me a comforting smile and hugged me tight and said- main kuch karoon na karoo benji lekhin marne se pehle tujhse ek baar zaroor milunga. Ye mera tujhse waada hai dude.

He said as he felt tears roll down his cheeks.

That was by far the last time i ever heard from him.

After that i never, ever got to hear from him. Neither on my birthdays, nor on my marriage. It was like samrat had just vanished over thin air.

For 20 years everyday i would go out in the morning to the airport to see if somehow you would come back.

For samrat, i even lost my wife. She wanted a divorce because she thought i was a lunatic to go to the airport everyday.

It didn't dawn on me then that you were not coming back. You never planned to come back.

When i finally felt the full impact of the pain, i left. Left india forever to new York, where i could start a new life. But it was the same, everywhere i would see you.

It took me half my life to aknowledge the fact that you were long gone from my life. I told myself you would come back. But deep inside even i knew that you were not a part of my life anymore.

As the memories faded, a tear trickled down my cheek as i turned to look at the young guys now whistling at some girls passing by.

Feeling sick, i got up and slowly walked out of the cafe.

As i was walking it suddenly started raining. I quickly pulled out the umberella and started walking. When suddenly i heard a really old guy around my age coughing bad,his back was facing me.

I walked towards the man and said- sir please pull out your umberella its raining hard.

The old man fidgitted a little and then said in a coarse yet strangely familiar voice- main kya karoo. Mera dost jisne mujhse wada kiya tha ki wo mere aandi aur tufaan mein chathri banke saath chalega, wo mere saath nahi hai!

As he said this i suddenly remembered the same lines i had once said to someone.

And it all dawned on me. I put my hand on his shoulders and turned him to face me, when a huge grin spread over my entire face.

I cried out- SAMRATTT!!! TU WAAPAS AA GAYA!

Samrat hugged me tight and whispered- main apne wade thodta nahi hoon benji. Im sorry!

As i slowly pulled away and looked at him, i knew we both felt the same feeling of affection after many years, because we both had tears glistening on our cheeks.

Samrat- i love you benji. Phir kabhi mujhe chodke mat jayiyo!

He said his eyes as sincere as possible.

I smiled and said- samrat ab bachhe hue din hi kitne hai?

And we laughed.. the familiar sensation of aching in the stomach after soo many years...

And that was the moment i knew It was true-BEST FRIENDS ARE FOREVER!

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