The perfect re-union!

I was born in Canada and was there for a considerable period of my life. My family moved back to India when I was 18 years old. Needless to say, my heart sank when I had to bid farewell to my best friend, Clara. It seemed like forever after moving to India that I did not meet her. Skype calls and e-mails were frequent but nothing beats a face to face chat. Years rolled by and we both made other friends, but it never happened that Clara and I were not in touch. She kept telling me that she would visit India, but I never thought that she really would, one day!

It was on my engagement day she surprised me with her sudden appearance. I was probably happier seeing her than my engagement ring! She had it all coordinated with my parents and kept her visiting plans under wraps. A few days later, I showed her around Delhi, all that she heard of, she saw it herself. It was an unreal feeling for both of us! I thought of giving her everything she wanted! She wanted something very simple though, authentic North Indian food! I took her to Dhaba By Claridges in Saket which is close to my house, and man she liked it! Although she didn’t quite get the concept of a Dhaba, she loved the food, the quirky décor and the drinks so much so that she wanted another round of North Indian food.

My fiancé and I took her to one of the best North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon the very next day and she savored every bit of it! She struggled a bit with the spices, but it was commendable the way she managed to eat it. She said never in her life did she think spicy food could be so tasty! Another thing she asked from me was a simple promise; that I would visit her, when she got engaged. I couldn’t say no and promised right away. My heart sank again while saying the final goodbye, but I hoped she got engaged soon, so that I could see her again!

My best friend’s farewell food!

The fact that my best friend- that one person I can share anything and everything with- would soon move to Mumbai to pursue her higher studies was already too hard to sink in; but planning her surprise farewell party where everybody would shower her with good wishes for a brighter future was even harder. I was happy for her of course, but not happy enough to let her go pursue her passion in a different city.

But I did what was needed to be done. I wanted to throw her the most memorable farewell party, and I did. While she was at work, we decorated her room with her favourite flowers, ordered the most magnificent cake we knew she would devour in just an hour, but most importantly we arranged for a lot of North Indian food (her favourite cuisine) from one of the famous home delivery restaurants in Saket. I still remember the surprised look on her face when she entered her room. She loved the party and we all just ate, sang, and danced the entire evening. This might sound clichéd, but in the end, we all hugged and cried together. We all have been friends since childhood and the fact that one of us would be moving away just made us emotional. And then when everyone went back home, I stayed over and while munching on the leftovers, we just talked and talked.

She left yesterday but not before lunching with me in one of her favourite North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon. She loves to eat and doing anything else before leaving for airport would have not been quite right. She, her parents, her twin sister, and I spent some happy moments together at that lovely restaurant. She would be back for Diwali holidays but being a big foodie, she can’t wait to have her favourite North Indian food from her favourite restaurant. Well, at least there is something that can lure her back to Delhi!