Lights out Alice!
I would like to set the context on the outset. I am not very good at public settings or expressing my feelings out in the open among people I barely know. That does not mean that I do not feel to the extent that any other human is expected to feel. Also, that does not imply that I am good with words. Yet, I will give it a try, because the person is worth it.
What is it like to see a good friend get married, I asked myself? What does it mean to see that person happy, on a real level, not just superficially, even though you are no longer as close to that person as you once were? What does it mean to just be grinning ear to ear, looking at a friend dancing in joyous revelry, wishing nothing but happiness to the couple (more realistically, wishing them the ability to fight together through thick and thin)?
Given how much time has passed since college, we might as well be strangers, Pit. We no longer share the same routine, or spend most of our days together hating on our college or sharing our love for cars or work on that off-road buggy that never got completed. Just like most young friendships, although we first met through mockery and disdain for each other, we stayed together without any reason. Our band of 3, with DC, just settled into a groove and clicked into place. None of us forced it or had similar traits. But enough of revelling in the past.
What I really liked about you throughout the 4 years of college, although you were absent for most of the latter part, was the fact that you always had a smile on your face. Nothing fazed you, be it a test you had not studied for or the teachers hating on you for being carefree. I learned a lot from you. But I have also seen you through tough times. It didn't change you as a person as you were still steadfast and had it together. I am pretty sure you had your downs and I wasn't a part of those since we weren't very close, but you were still an inspiration.
As I sat through your kirtan or saw you on your roka, I sat back and truly soaked the moment. I was happy for you man. I was proud of you, like a parent would, but in a way that made me content, seeing you enjoy yourself in these moments.
I don't know much about V, but I hope she is happy, and would like to convey to her that you are a pretty awesome soul that I had the good fortune to meet. I wish both of you all the very best for the rest of your life...and I truly mean it.
I know you have a long way to go, and life will get rough someday, but I hope you remember that you have what it takes to make it through.
Thanks for being a friend Pit!
