One day she saw me in a dream.

Over three years ago, I leas a Meghalaya trip. There were 7-8 close people to me, who had joined, in that set of 20.

This story, strangely, isn’t about any of these close ones.

Krutika, seemed guarded to me in the beginning. She was geeky for sure, maybe a little prudish as well. I don’s remember hew we started hanging out but Jimmy, Suyash and me would hang out with her and her room mate Divya once everyone dispersed to sleep.

On day five, I was sauntering with some swagger down a road when she side she had something to share with me, I turned to her, and she said, “Nero you give me very brotherly vibes.”

I can assure you if I did have any swagger in the preceding moments, it completely disappeared in hearing that. I have had a lot of boys on a trip call me “bhai” and treat me like an elder brother. But very few women.

It overjoyed me.

She got married a few months later to the love of her life (god bless you both) and shifted to Australia.

The story starts now….

It is natural for people to have heightened emotions on trips. it normal for people to feel a lot of things on trips- liberty, the desire to go back and claim their life, binds with others. Days, weeks, months later routine makes them forget of it.

Distance makes binds weaker.

But Krutika would text me every once in a while. On reading some post that would touch her. Or if she saw something interesting online. Or if she had an idea.

Every few months she would send a text, “When are you coming to Australia.”

Half the time I would be on a trip and not see her message till weeks later, but she never got upset. 

Her love faith, warmth remain unconditional, never met after that trip.

Maybe she came to India a couple of times in these five years, but a timings and locations never matched.

This year, I travelled to 6 continents, she would text, “Australia when.”

The only one I didn’t go to was Australia. 

After 55 days in South America, I returned to India in December. She had come for two weeks, but I was only a few hours in Mumbai before flying to Russia.

We had met five years back. I had so many friends to meet in Mumbai. Make sense to meet her for an hour na. So I went off to another friends place.

It kept bothering me that she was in the same city and I wasn’t meeting her. Some memories from five years back. The five of us, came back. Her calling me “Brother” Her sending me texts for five years, never being expectant of a reply.

“Krutika, I am coming”, I texted her. “I’ve to rush to the airport but I’ll see you, hug you and dash.” She sent me the location.

In absolute filmy style, my cab went the wrong way. Then we had an accident. A car screamed at my cabbie. I had to meet her. 

I reached Mumbai University stepped out of the car and there she was. It wasn’t filmy. This is in romance. No violence played, but I had the biggest smile on my face. We hugged so hard. One of the best hugs of the year.

Five years. My sister. 

She tied an “evil eye” wristband on my hand, of course, she knew I love wrist bands, we had only 23 minutes I had to rush to the airport. One more hug, and I left. 

One day she saw me in Nadi and it we were playing cricket and she hit me for 26 runs in one over. 

Yeah right 😉