We were in Class VIII. I can't say I was in love with flowers back then. I liked them enough. Drooped lazily here and there. Some growing underfoot. Others nodding on the trees, and I also liked watching fat cows eating them. Every now and again we had these 'flower decoration' deals for the Creativity exam. I had one set decoration. A 'basket-case'. A wicker basket, in which I'd otherwise store pencils, erasers, pens, pins, an old compass, an old scratched ruler, loose paint tubes, and everything else which I didn't know what to do with but didn't throw out, would be brought out into which I'd drop a bunch of straggly flowers and leaves. Every time we had a flower decoration - that would be my masterpiece, and then I'd be yawning or reading something or dreaming while staring out of the window or into outer space while fiddling with and flinging some beads of water onto the fast drooping and limp flowers.
And then for a Bio class one day, a friend of mine brought in this ravishing dahlia. Of all the flowers that I'd seen, I'd bonded with dahlias the least. But this one was something-else. A wine-red so deep and liquid drenched it and the starkest white limpid spots flecked the petals of that gorgeous beauty. I was staring. There were oohs and aahs all around. And for the whole while I was staring at the flower. My friend and I would share a desk every now and again, and so for that entire day - there I was staring dreamily at this beautiful thing. Bio class was over at some point. I'd gone out for a little walk and came back to see my flower gone.
"Where is it? Where is it?"
"What?"
"The - . The -!" I said pointing frantically to where the beauty had been.
"Oh, I gave it to so-and-so."
"What?...Why?"
"She wanted it."
"You gave it to her because she wanted it? But I'd ..."
"She asked me whether she could have it. I gave it to her."
"But I had - I had wanted it too." Out of me before I could take it back.
With the smile in in her eyes I knew so well she said,"But you didn't ask for it, Shilpi."
"But I didn't even think you'd give it...to anyone."
And with the smile now playing around her lips she said, "You should have asked...."
What I did some seconds later (which I'd also forgotten but it sauntered in now and none-too-clearly for the memory is a fickle item rather) as I went stomping off while fuming is something I'll keep to myself.
Do have some of the best memories from times spent with that friend - through school, high-school, and through some good, bad, and ugly college years...
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