When a friend leaves

This piece was written on November 20, 2006.

Recently, my best friend at school left the city. She was selected among the top 40 students in her coaching. She shall now live in her coaching's hostel and study devotedly for JEE. It is a beautiful opportunity for her and I am glad for it. But inspite of my happiness at her finally getting that for which she had been studying for the past month, her absence at school makes me sad.
She and I have been friends for quite a short duration, just five months but she is quite a close friend nonetheless. And at school, she and I always stay together. In all our free periods, the two of us could be seen studying somewhere in the school grounds. As the class is too noisy a place to study, we used to go out and sit and study somewhere. In fact our teachers were often astonished at finding us studying in the oddest of places.So, all in all, we spent our entire day in the company of each other and only each other. it'll be so lonely without her. When she used to be absent for even one day, i used to miss her and now....

One of our favourite places to spend recess was an empty booth near the school gate which was originally built for the watchman but never used by him ( he stays at the main gate and not at the side gate). We were always seen there during recess and even our teachers knew where to find us. The conversation that took place one day between me and my English teacher indicates our penchant for the place and our friendship.The bell for recess had just rang:
Sir: Go and enjoy your recess in your 'outhouse'
Me: Sir, I don't go there alone.
Sir: Preetika is absent?
Me: Yes, sir.
sir: Take somebody else.
(I shook my head.)
Sir: Nobody there?
Me: No, Sir.

I think I'll never again spend my recess there.

P.S. I think I got very sentimental at that time.