The Sound of Friendship

Dr. Alpana, like it is with all ladies, arrived at the venue fifteen minutes late. But when she entered “Owen Fresh”, the cosy little bakery tucked in the by lanes of Dadar just off Shivaji park, she wafted in like a whiff of fresh air.

After a formal shake hand with me and (pretence of) a hug with Vims, she shot her first salvo, “I have never met Arun and Vimal is my langotia yaar.” A few heads turned towards our table.

Now at this stage itself I must introduce you to Dr. Alpana’s larynx box.

True, I was meeting her for the first time and equally true I have never met Dr.Jayant, but I can bet my last penny that they both have never “whispered” sweet nothings. I will not say that she is loud (now that would be rude) but yes she is anything but discreet. She is a natural spring and I am sure twenty five years earlier, Dr.Jayant would have seen in her an impish simplicity of a Maria Reiner of the Sound of Music fame.

This simplicity and naturalness she still retains and which is endearing to say the least.

It was Vims turn to blush. “ Hmm…. Yes… well you can say we were langotia..”

Alps put an end to Vims’s misery by announcing to whoever cared to listen, “But we were out of our langots or whatever by then.” A few more heads turned towards our table.

“Yes …yes …. Of course”, Vims blushed and blabbered.

I knew they had a long ‘catching up’ conversation to do and settled deep in my chair sipping my ice tea listening to what both had to say.

Alpana said no to ice tea or anything cold. Hot beverages were not served there. She had a bad throat, she said and settled for a glass of luke-warm water. Though to be honest neither me, nor many others in that restaurant were convinced!! Thankfully, talking less during a bad throat was not on her agenda. She also avoided Pizza and kept referring to herself as being overweight. She did say that Vims is a motu and Vims did say that he would start morning walks and keep things in check.

Alps wanted to meet Sister Rosalie even if it involved a trip to Parlakhemundi. She made a polite enquiry about Hindi Miss’s health. She also wanted to go to BAM and see the school. She spoke of her desire to set up a home for the destitute. She, in fact, is already working for a NGO. “Its honorary work”, she said. And this time when the heads turned towards our table we got some reverential looks.

In a bid to draw me into the conversation Alps showed me the pix of her dog on her mobile. “What breed is this,” I politely enquired.

“STRAY”, she said with a confidence and pride that would have made fancy dog owners squirm with an inferiority complex. For a moment even I thought, as most in the restaurant, that stray was a new breed that was both rare and highly pedigreed.

“It came on its own to our house and is now a part of us”, Alps supplemented. By now people had by and large got used to the conversation overflowing from our table.

With Alps and Vims together the conversation had to veer around Reena and Sarita. So Sarita was duly contacted and reassured that she was Alps’s best friend. Come August (when Reena comes) and I am sure Vims will have more to add.

There was an interesting sidelight to the Alps and Vims show.

It seems Alps had once introduced a lady doctor to Vims. After some time Vims began “harassing” her with phone calls. A few confrontations and denials followed. I was told to judge whether Vims could do such a “giri huee harkat”. Since by now our table had become the cynosure of all eyes I decided to prolong matters and asked if the doctor in question was beautiful.

“Let’s call her over,” Vims announced and duly contacted her. She agreed to drop in. I noticed many in the restaurant delaying their departure, hoping to catch the new “Friend”.

But it was soon clarified that Vims finally decided to take it up with Vodafone people and it all transpired that there was some glitch in their system. Clearly a case of romance that never was!!

“Hey… what about the SVC re-union get together,” Alps told Vims. I almost expected others in the restaurant to say, “Yes please do so and invite us as observers.”

The conversation would have gone on and on but for the train which Alps had to catch. So we said our goodbyes, clicked photographs for posterity to pause, ponder and praise.

PS:

If ever Friends has to be re-shot in Hindi, Marathi or Hinglish I am sure svcberhampur.blogspot.com is the place where it can be done.

What say?