Friendship!

The strong aroma of ghee rice spread around the apartment and the little one (not so little anymore, he turned 16 today) dashed into the pantry “mom, its ghee rice for lunch? Thank you mom, I love you”. The sloppy cook that I am, I play my trump card when I have unexpected guests or on special occasions and it’s Ghee rice and Beef curry.

Friendship!

What has ghee rice to do with friendship?!

Speaking about friendship, we hear different kinds of friends, friends from childhood, school, college, workplace, etc. etc. A special day for friendship! We wake up to a lot of friendship quotes each day.

My friend Shiny, that’s my connection with ghee rice and friendship!

Some 16-17 years back, we visited our friends in Sharjah, my husband’s friend and his wife, the newly wedded couple. We could relate easily, no inhibitions, no uneasiness, an innocent young girl and a silly me. We went into the kitchen and with no apprehensions she started out with lunch preparations, ghee rice, something that she has seen from her mother, “it should be like this” she would say in between not quite sure if it is right. I was right besides with encouragement possible of me, witnessing a new dish that I have only heard of till then. It was awesome, I should say!

Since then I have made the ghee rice many times to save my face, and yeah each time I make it I remember my friend, the conversation in the kitchen between to naive young ladies and I'll cherish it forever.

Two years back while on a return flight to Dubai, my elder one asked, “Ma, isn’t it too late? You need to talk dad out of this, its past 11:00pm!”  We were past our landing time and late into the night, our attempts to excuse ourselves from bothering them this late fell into deaf ears. Ansari was out at the entrance for us, and Shiny ready with dinner back home. That’s when I met Shiny again after a few years! Same old Shiny and same me, no inhibitions, no formalities, we are good!

When the hubby is over the phone with his friend I would nudge “my regards to Shiny” but for sure they are never conveyed amidst their ‘exciting chats’.

Some friendships are like that, you don’t have to pick the phone and say hello always to remind that you are there. You don’t have to hold parties so that you don’t loose your friends. Neither do you have to go out of the way and do anything to please them! But you always know that they are there for you!