We, my better half and two very tired kids, had trudged up and down the hillock twice , before we spotted her name on the gate. We hesitated. It was a huge house, full of greenery. Foliage trying to escape from the confines of the dilapidated boundary walls built during the British era.Creepers and vines ,dried as well as green also threatened to choke the rusted bars of the two wrought iron gates, one of which was ominously chained and padlocked.
Upon ringing the bell(which sounded a faint gong somewhere) at the unlocked gate, an elderly gentleman made an appearance at the door.Dressed in the unpretentious' mund', iconic to keralites the world over, he walked over to us , his flip-flops chattering on the cobbled pathway.The familiar and endearing simplicity almost rendered us speechless. He had the same slanting forehead. I found myself asking him for my friend in pigdin malayalam, a language I had not spoken or heard for fifteen long years.
He nodded,obviously not trusting my linguistic abilities.
As he turned he motioned us in and I gingerly followed in ,the eyes took a moment to adapt to the darkness inside the room.Immediately, I recognised her sitting at the laptop, her back to me. Flowing waist length hair, dark purple suit , she turned to look and was frozen for a moment.
Her screams of recognition brought the other members of the family into the spacious living room(the size of a small basket ball court). Her parents grinning , my own folks trooped in , sheepishly smiling.
Her non stop chatter setting the scene for a long morning, full of reminiscing and catching up on lost times , numerous milestones and life events that we missed.
She would begin sentences in English and end them in malayalam, hoping I would latch on like olden days, I would shake my head and she would break into her heartwarming guffaws. Totally beside herself she insisted we have lunch before we left.
Time flew by and it was time to say goodbye, this time we promised to keep in touch, via social media.
Another miracle had occurred. I had met my long lost friend, played with her cute daughter of two years , one couldn't ask for more.
It was one of the most wonderful day of my life, one I would always cherish.
Upon ringing the bell(which sounded a faint gong somewhere) at the unlocked gate, an elderly gentleman made an appearance at the door.Dressed in the unpretentious' mund', iconic to keralites the world over, he walked over to us , his flip-flops chattering on the cobbled pathway.The familiar and endearing simplicity almost rendered us speechless. He had the same slanting forehead. I found myself asking him for my friend in pigdin malayalam, a language I had not spoken or heard for fifteen long years.
He nodded,obviously not trusting my linguistic abilities.
As he turned he motioned us in and I gingerly followed in ,the eyes took a moment to adapt to the darkness inside the room.Immediately, I recognised her sitting at the laptop, her back to me. Flowing waist length hair, dark purple suit , she turned to look and was frozen for a moment.
Her screams of recognition brought the other members of the family into the spacious living room(the size of a small basket ball court). Her parents grinning , my own folks trooped in , sheepishly smiling.
Her non stop chatter setting the scene for a long morning, full of reminiscing and catching up on lost times , numerous milestones and life events that we missed.
She would begin sentences in English and end them in malayalam, hoping I would latch on like olden days, I would shake my head and she would break into her heartwarming guffaws. Totally beside herself she insisted we have lunch before we left.
Time flew by and it was time to say goodbye, this time we promised to keep in touch, via social media.
Another miracle had occurred. I had met my long lost friend, played with her cute daughter of two years , one couldn't ask for more.
It was one of the most wonderful day of my life, one I would always cherish.
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