At Last We Were Friends Again

I lost Sara on the night of 31st December, 2012. Sara was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Sara and I were childhood friends. We had grown up together and we were like a double cherry which scarcely seemed parted. We partook in each other's joy and sorrow. Those were the happy days - carefree, thinking fair thoughts and dreaming bright dreams about our friendship. But no one knows where destiny leads us.

During her last couple of months, Sara had become very secretive. She didn't seem up to her spirits, took frequent leaves from school and several other changes I noticed in her which were pretty unlikely for a jolly girl like her. I kept asking her if everything was OK or not and if she wanted to share anything with me, but she refused. She had always shared everything with me. We all were fighting tooth-and-nail at that time of the year for our examinations, so I didn't bother her much.

Her results were terrible and as the days passed by, she began distancing herself from me. I absolutely couldn't figure out why she was doing like that. She wouldn't even speak up. When i would ask her if everything was alright, she would just tell me that it was nothing and that she wasn't up to her spirits and felt down. I was getting disturbed as well.

Several weeks later, during one of our vacations, Sara's mother called me and informed me that Sara had been admitted to one of the city hospitals. I felt shattered. I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't tell me anything. She just asked me to pay a visit as soon as possible and Sara would tell me everything.

I had to take care of my little brother, so I couldn't rush to the hospital right then. In the evening when I reached there, i was very warmly welcomed by Sara's mother in such a critical condition of which I was simply unaware. And then I was horror struck to find Sara on the death bed. The following meeting which we had would stand vividly in my mind.

I sat beside her with noone else in the room. With a broken heart and warm tears running down my cheeks, i listened to her. She explained to me that her physical and mental health was not good for quite some time, but she did not tell anyone. She was running low of energy. This was the reason for her absence from school. But then when she was diagnosed with blood cancer, she never told me as she didn't want me to get tensed or concerned. I had got offended with her for distancing herself from me. But after listening to this, I felt ashamed of myself for judging my dear friend. She had just a few days more, maybe even a few hours to live. The visiting hour was over, so the nurse came up to me and walked me out of the room. As I turned back to look at her, little did I know that it would be my last encounter with her.

The following day when i returned home in the evening and was about to get ready to go and visit her, i was told by my parents that Sara was no more. I felt paralysed, too weak to stand. I was devoid of any emotion then. I was empty. It was 31st December, 2012 that I lost her. I hoped her soul rests in peace.

When a rose withers, its value fades away. When a candle is lit, it melts away and it's fire dies. But the friendship you have shown me is like fire that burns in my heart eternally.