Chocolate

Chocolate

To write a story titled ‘Chocolate can be presumptuous’ specially after the classic movie. But this is where it began, my thought process. 

Reenal had sent her second batch of chocolates, this Diwali too, and exactly like last Diwali these were also old. You know those chocolates someone gives you and you never open, shoving them in the fridge, so you can ‘gift’ them away. If you are that kind of second hand gift giver, please remember that chocolates can give away the TRUTH. At least indian ones can, cause old chocolates develop this white dull look, like they have been powdered.

Anyway, that second hand, or rather second, second hand gift to be precise kind of sealed our unfriendship. Why? Cause I had on both Diwalis sent Reenal home-made  badam halwa in a cute ceramic jar, tied with a ribbon. 

The thing with me is friendship has to be true. I can fake all relationships, even those that involve marriage but i take friendship too damn seriously.

Reenal needn’t have sent anything. But why pass away a lie?

Like Annie Besant said famously  ‘That one loyalty to truth I must keep stainless, whatever friendships fail me or human ties be broken. She may lead me into wilderness, yet I must follow her; she may strip me of all my love, yet I must pursue her, though she slay me, Yet will I trust her; and I ask no other epitaph on my tomb but “she tried to follow the truth”.

I had the same feeling about friendships. And soon all my friendships needed epitaphs too!

Ditta and i had a strained relationship after i mentioned she should take up a job and not rely so much in her young son for finances (though that was true).

Bela and i got into an online  fight after she had narrated  her suicide attempt, during her post natal  depression days,  and i supported her husband saying what came first thing to my mind. ‘How difficult it must be for a person to live with someone who had attempted suicide, why do you always see him negatively?’ And am sure as hell this is true, too. 

So thats why am dreading meeting Reenal today. We had to go together to the dentist with our girls which meant two hours of talking to each other. Reenal and i became friends last year since we started carpooling together. She was easy to talk to. 

Though two hours is too long to purdah the bugging truth. 

Anyway here we were, Reenal was telling me of how competitive her co-sister was being, how comparative. 

Damn, i liked this quality of Reenal’s so much, she was sensitive and wanted wholesome relationships. 

I gingerly asked her how she thought my badam halwa was this time. Reenal blurted..

‘Babe am so sorry, you shouldn’t have! And all i send you are hand me down chocolates, god only knows how old!’

Reenal was looking at me perplexed as i had the broadest cheshire cat smile on my face. 

‘Oh Reenal, cast that guilt out of your mind. But you shouldn’t have told me that! Truth always spoils friendships, a little lie here or there, what does it matter?!’

But boy, was i relieved, she had been truthful!