A friend in need is a friend indeed. Is it?

“Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness.”
– Unknown

But there are such friends too who are concerned neither about your troublesome times nor happy ones. Oh wait! Did I say Friends?

“Damn! Just few days left, and I am yet to complete the syllabus. You are dead now”, Snehal cursed herself while looking at the calendar of 2016. This appalling reality check gave her jitters. She took her MBA books and decided to drown deep into her nerd mode for the coming days.

A message beeped in her phone-
I need to talk to you about something. Really urgent.

Hardly left with any option, like most of the times, Snehal headed towards the hostel’s terrace where her friend, Pooja, was waiting for her help, like always. The moment Snehal looked at Pooja’s face, she knew it had got to do something with her boyfriend, and that her study plans were going to be put under hold.

“Seems you didn’t have a smooth date. Did you?”, Snehal asked Pooja. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that same day Pooja went out on a date with her boyfriend. A boyfriend that Snehal never liked even to befriend. But well that’s not the point.

“I wish it did.”

“I don’t know for how many times I need to tell you, explain you that your goodness cannot turn a bad guy into a good one. All this happens just in reel-life, not real-one. I wish you were not this bollywood-fanatic, but little practical too.” Thoughts ran in Snehal’s mind. By now Snehal got pretty good in advising Pooja in her mind than through her words, and had pretty much understood Pooja’s pattern – Call Snehal for her rescue -> Hear all Snehal’s advices -> Never listen to any of Snehal’s advices.
See, there is a subtle line between hearing and listening, and that is all what makes the real difference.

Snehal, yet again, tried to make things go into Pooja’s mind. But it all went into drain, and so did Snehal’s study time too. After wasting her time for around one hour, she went back to her room, only to feel washed out.

After few days, again the same situation occurred and nothing different happened. Only the context of Pooja’s problem shifted from her boyfriend to boyfriends.

Days after days, weeks after weeks, Pooja came to Snehal for rescue from all kind of situations, and Snehal like always tried to help her too. What a beautiful relation of friendship. Isn’t it? Just few months in hostel, and luckily Pooja got Snehal by her side, always, no matter what.

One day, Snehal needed help in preparing a speech for college’s fest. Only name that popped up in her mind was of Pooja cause by now Pooja had delivered many speeches, that too written by her own. Snehal went to her room only to find that she wasn’t there. She texted her asking by when she would come back.
“I will come by seven” was the response she received. So Snehal waited for Pooja, and waited till nine when finally Pooja came to Snehal’s room.

“So what is it?”, asked Pooja who was completely exhausted due to her two days’ trip with her boyfriend.

“Where were you? College was also off today”, asked Snehal.

“I was out for last two days. So what is it that you texted me for?”

Snehal took a paper pad and pen, and told Pooja about the speech that she had to deliver, and so asked Pooja to help her out to write one. Pooja gave her a stern look as if Snehal has asked for her help in doing something illicit or illegal.

“See I am very tired right now. Writing a speech isn’t that big deal. You try yourself. I am sure you will succeed in it.”

“But Pooja I have already tried and not getting it right. I am not asking you to write whole thing for me but just…”

“See Snehal I really want to help you out. But I have got things to do, and I am already running short of time.”

“It will hardly take fifteen minutes. Come on Pooja.”

“It’s not impossible Snehal. Don’t act like a toddler who doesn’t know how to write and speak.”

“Can you help me tomorrow?”

“I am leaving for my hometown tomorrow morning. Got to do a lot of packing.”
Pooja’s phone rang and she went out of Snehal’s room to attend it. Snehal couldn’t believe that her FRIEND couldn’t help her in writing a mere speech. She knew Pooja wasn’t going to come back to her room, not that day.

“Maybe she is really tired to think. Or maybe I was always too peppy listening to her things, precisely problems.” A thought that just shot off Snehal’s mind.

Was it really friendship? Or was Snehal just a dumping bag for Pooja’s problems? It was not the first time that Pooja had an excuse for not helping her out. There had been similar kind of incidents in past too. But they were extremely minor things, which never made Snehal feel this way about Pooja.

It was now when realizations started hitting Snehal, real hard, like a hammer hitting down a nail on a wall.  She realized that Pooja never came to her to share any good news. Whenever she came, it was for some or other issues of hers. She never knew beforehand whenever Pooja was up for any outing. She now realized that Pooja hardly knew her, Snehal.

If she can’t help me with my little struggles, can I ever count on her for my real bad days and struggles? Obviously not. I always helped her out, keeping myself aside and her first. I thought of her as my friend, a friend whom I can rely upon.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Is it?
Snehal ended her diary’s page with a thoughtful notion.

It feels bit cheated to realize that you are merely a dumping ground for one’s problems, issues and other negative stuffs, when you considered that bond to be of some real significance. Doesn’t it?

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” 
― Bob Marley

Maybe we need to reconsider our friend list. Not on Facebook, in real life.

BUT did Pooja really cheat Snehal? Did Pooja had the realization of being accused by Snehal? Did Pooja ‘intentionally’ use Snehal as her dumping ground? Maybe, or maybe not too. Was it really Pooja who made Snehal feel this way, or was it something else? You and I will probably find answers to these unanswered questions in my upcoming post. Till then let contemplation be your friend. It probably won’t cheat you. Maybe.

Here is the next part of the story. A click on the link will redirect you to the next part,
Not every acquaintance is a friend.

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Copyright © 2016 by Idle Muser. All rights reserved.