2006 is a sad year for me, simply because I’ve got so many weddings to attend, most of them my close friends. Why am I sad then? Well, these are guys who I’ve seen through school, we’ve partied together, sit and sipped coffee till the wee hours of the morning, shared crazy moments on the weekends when we would have movie marathons, but most of all – they’re getting married and I’m still single! Woe is me…Then again, staying single is a good thing. Whatever it is, it’s now a different feeling. The first people in the group to get married did so less than two months ago, and that night we all were ecstatic, but at the same time, we knew we had crossed over onto a different plateau. From guys and girls who would hang out at every opportunity to juggling work schedules. Everyone would try and get together sometime on the weekends, but even that didn’t work due to the different kinds of jobs we did. Some of us worked in call centres; some did the regular 9-5 routine and me, with my radio shows, regular job, and once-in-a-while DJ routine that threw keeping a proper schedule out the door. We still stayed in touch regularly through messenger chat and phone calls, but somehow we then had evolved. Now, from that to this — a group of people who now hop from one wedding to another, losing one friend after another to wedded bliss.
My best friend, Leroy, and me, sometime back, wondered how long it would be before we would start meeting with our wives and husbands for a Saturday night barbeque. We laughed so hard that night threw back a few glasses of vodka and watched Superman. We also made a pact that whoever got married first, the other would be his best man. We still haven’t got that chance but sooner or later, we will. Life changes quickly sometimes. In the past month, one friend’s engaged, the other just started booking the venue and sound for his wedding in January next year. And we’ve walked on… It’s difficult to explain; one moment you’re running in the fields without a care in the world and the next moment you’re booking a band for your wedding. Where did time go? Every year you grow older, every time the sun rises, you’re faced with more and more responsibilities. And you take them on, but there are times when you wish you could just give it all up for a week and laze around in the sunshine. Some of us will get that chance in the near future, some of us will not. But whatever happens, we’ll stick together. We still do, inspite of the fact that we’re scattered all over the world, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Melbourne and soon, somewhere in America. And we still counsel each other, and help each other cross over, pick up a heavier bag and trudge on.
Growing older seems scary sometimes. When I turned 18, I wondered what would happen five years down the line. I’ve passed that milestone a long time ago and now look forward to 30 with the same trepidation, albeit with more confidence. And as we walk down, we sometimes look behind for glimpses of the past, when we had a good time, when we laughed into the night and we hope that we’ll still get times like those ahead. We most definitely will, at weddings, barbeques and parties, whenever we can. Hopefully, we’ll see each other often, but then, that’s what good friends are all about, you come back after a year and they’ll greet you like you never left. And that’s what growing older and wiser is all about too. Walking the line…and smiling!
Feb 22, Gomantak Times, Goa
1 comment:
Well hello there Mr. Editor. Felt nostalgic with a sort of feeling you have when you when you miss something nice in your life. To see friends and good friends get together for a session of last bonding. By the way, if this is the place to tell you, my marriage is fixed for next May. So hopefully you be there and avoid being sad that you have to book your dates again next year. Cheers, Joel
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