Once upon a time there were three friends. They shared laughs & studies & projects & crushes – they argued, gossiped, planned, and fantasized – For four years they shared everything & then real life started. The friends parted with promises to keep in touch & not let the end of University become the end of their friendship. One moved to Dubai, one joined the entertainment industry & one, got hitched & married & worked only part time in a field totally different from the others.

They kept in touch – kind off.

But the phone calls dwindled & eventually became limited to special occasions. The priorities changed & so did the personalities. They met sometimes & tried to drag along the dying friendship.

Being in a different country also took its toll and one came back to awkward pauses and loads of ‘aurs’. She tried to mend the friendships but maybe didn’t put her heart into it.

Then, she fell in love & turned to the other two with the wonderful news – even before she had convinced the guy.

She started preparing for her wedding and needed help from the friends – but one was a new mom & the other was just not so warm anymore.

Then the new-mom told her that the other was all set to marry a class fellow – and she was the last one to know of it.

Anger arose – infused with confusion, of hurt & betrayal.

But good sense prevailed & congratulations were handed out – double dates & shopping trips happened. And then, she got married & moved to another city with promises of coming back for the other friend’s wedding.

But the new city proved to be lonelier than expected & she pinned for chats with friends. They seldom called & when she did, all they had to offer were complains of her not calling oftener.  Resentment grew.

A year passed. The wedding invitation came but on a mass email and without the attachment that was supposed to be the card. There was no word of Mayoon/Mehndi/Dholkis. There were no phone calls.

She called nonetheless – and they went unattended.

Then she got blamed for not calling.

After a few months she made up again. Called , texted & tried to chat. The calls are received politely, but never returned. The texts go unacknowledged. The chat sessions end with a brb after the greetings.

Now, the not-so-new mom, who has moved to another country, gives her the news that the other friend is expecting. She bugs her, to call & congratulate.

She wants to – and yet, when someone makes it very clear that they’d rather NOT have you in their life, should you really call and tell them you are happy for them?