9pm – Busy madiwala. I was waiting for my bus to native for a family function. After a long time I was leaving my kids and going for just a day. A blue car crossed me swiftly and my memories walked down the lane.
“Hello, this is Subha” my first conversation with a new colleague during my shadow phase over a Skype call. “I’m Arun” he introduced himself. After a few calls I met him too. Our first project discussions, roadmap and strategies made us good friends over a period of time too. We had a good working mindset and we also drove together to office in his blue car many times.
The blue car has heard and witnessed our Project discussions, our experiences, funny incidents, ups and downs, arguments in meetings, plan realignment, risk discussions, previous job roles, future roadmaps, our mentors, our learnings, our good times, our not so good times, Shirdi Sai, personal lessons learnt, gender differences and mindset, grooming ourselves and much more meaningful conversations.
I often discuss work related topics with my brother and he explains his perspective which used to be rational and different. Over a period of time I felt the approach from Arun was no different to my brother and I felt comfortable and home like speaking to my brother.
Mom gave me two Rs per day when I was a child to buy chocolates or stationery. Every June I’d put aside one rupee per day and try to find a lovely designer pen for my brother for his birthday. This habit still continues now and I gift a pen to someone who is as close as a sibling to me. The matte Parker was my favourite one and wished Arun good luck with this!
Over few months things changed drastically and for no reason we moved apart. I had no clue what was going on too. Only hint I had was maybe my anxiety about work and worrying queries made him leave.
While I felt quite hurt, I remembered my mentor Christoph’s words. At times certain people enter our lives as friends or guides or mentors and this period gets over after you had quite good learnings from them. It appears to end without reason but it simply ends because you’re now mentored and just need to move on.
Maybe our discussions and learnings from each other was just over. His rational answers for different situations still remains fresh in my heart. I’ve become a stronger person than what I was. Probably this was also meant to teach me that nothing lasts longer in life.
I was a very different person who didn’t have friends at work. No one even knew my personal life at work. Probably this was an experience to teach me that I still have an emotional side of me that I need to work on. Maybe a rejection at work is needed to make me understand how to deal with a lost friend. Maybe a lesson is needed to get comfortable with the uncomfortable by just having a balance between friends and colleagues.
As the blue car slowed down in front of me, I had a hope that someone calls me out “hey Subha, let’s go” – maybe that day arrives once more in life – Maybe not. But the endless meaningful conversations and respect will still live within me!
Once a friend, always a friend – the blue car moved on causing smile with tears!
“Madam, your bus is here” the coordinator broke my thoughts!