11th Dec 2023
My Dearest Palak,
Happiness is made up of core memories – memories that fill our life with wonder, with amazement, with love. In the tapestry of life, some of my happiest and most cherished moments are the ones that involves you.
To be honest, everything I remember about you makes me feel happy (and I remember things about you that you have forgotten), even the ones that were a little hurtful back then. Like in Class 9 or 10, one day, you came to me and said, “You love Subarna, don’t you?”
There I was, hopelessly, desperately, stubbornly, madly, unapologetically yet fearfully in love with you, and you were asking if I was in love with Subarna 😡. That was a bit hurtful. But today, even that memory brings a smile to my face.
Another favourite moment involved you giving me a pen and a Munch on my birthday 😇 – that was in Class 10. I had kept that pen and the wrapper of the Munch safe until recently, when mom misplaced the box (where I had saved all your stuff) somewhere. Had a huge fight with her after that.
In 10th again, I found myself attempting a ballroom dance with Venkat—inspired by movie scenes, of course. Enter you, the unexpected dance critic. “Why dance like that with a guy?” you asked, promptly rearranging my hands to a more traditional position – one hand on your waist, the other holding your hand. My face turned fifty shades of red. 😂
I’ve lost track of the countless memories we share from another era. But over the past 16 years, encounters have been confined to dreams (for the past 16 years, I have consistently seen you in my dreams at least once a month), with occasional glimpses on social media. Strangely mirroring our real-life chat dynamics, even in dreams, you maintain a peculiar distance – except for one dream.
The prospect of meeting you after 16 long years fills me up with a certain kind of joy that I haven’t experienced for a really long time. I hope this meeting happens. I will book my tickets as soon as you confirm the dates.
Can’t wait to see you. And make memories again. Core memories.
With love, hugs and other things,
P
