A Long Time Ago

“Low Petrol”, she thought, as she waited in her car for the green at the signal. Switching radio stations impatiently, she cursed the stations for playing the junk that they play.

Two girls crossed the road in front of her car, on their way to school, hand in hand, chattering about something. Somehow, she felt sure, that their conversation would be better than this radio. She felt the admiring glances of the two girls on her as they passed by.

She remembered her school days, the days when she had dreamt of today. She had dreamt as a kid, just like those girls were now dreaming. The car and the radio to herself, the money to herself, her life to herself. Today was the day she had dreamt of, then… that day… when she had crossed the road with Krupa alongside. 

Krupa was her best friend. She had walked to school with her. She had ridden with her to college. She had been her confidante, her support, her companion. Today, Krupa was getting married.

She thought of the times they had spent together, the joys they had shared, the pain they had tried to bear, the problems they had negotiated … the shopping they had done, the guys they had talked about, the films they had seen, the places they had been to. 

The light turned green, as she instinctively drove to the office through the maze of traffic.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she tried to focus on what she had to do today. Today was an important day in her career, she told herself. Today, the website she and her team were developing would go live. The satisfaction of doing a job well… this was what she had strived for. She would be happy, she told herself, her hard work would be appreciated, and the accolades would start pouring in. 

She had been happy once. The world had seemed so relaxed… “That seemed such a long time ago…” she thought. 

She stepped into the reception of her office, the chill of the AC welcoming her. Just as she stepped into the lift, her mobile beeped. It was a message from Krupa: “Where are you?”