THE SACRIFICE

"Hey nice to meet you after a whole long year!", Rupa hugged me as I came out of my college building. We had spoke to each other the previous day that we would be meeting the next day.

" I searched you all over the campus you fool where were you? I hope you didn't forgot that we would be meeting today.", she said getting annoyed.

"Sorry dear, what could I do, the lecture got delayed and continued till 3.10. Well everything is fine isn't it?", I asked as we got out of the campus gate and headed towards Juhu beach for that was the closest destination from my college for us to sit and talk for two or three hours.

"Not actually ", she said after a pause of about two minutes.

"Why, what's wrong?", I asked as we got into an auto rickshaw.

"Lot many things to say Shweta ", she replied silently. We got down and started walking on the beautiful, though unclean beach. It was raining, so we took out our windcheater and walked further.

"Do you remember I had told you about my best friend in the aviation base with whom I am as close as I am with you?", she said as she kicked off a sea shell.

"Yes I remember very well. I hope she is still your best friend." , I said thinking that there might be some problem between the two.

"Yes she is still my best friend, now she is more than a best friend", she said.

"Then what's the problem, you seem to be hiding something, tell me what's the problem?", said, I always read her mind each time she tries to hide something or hesitates.

"Last vacation I didn't return home because the vacation was just for three weeks. I decided to go to Sneha's home this time. When we reached there she disclosed me a something that she has never ever told me. She told me that when she was five years old, while returning back from native place they found a lost child and they have adopted the child. He is her close friend and they share everything with each other. Later that night she introduced to this guy, Sidharth.

It is the same boy I she had told me, adopted one. Sidharth is a well-behaved guy, a very friendly person, and elder to us by just one year. Soon we three became inseparable great friends. As days passed Sidharth started becoming more and more closer. Then after a few days I started to feel that I have started loving him. I don't know how, but its true. You know me very well that I never ever like making friendship with boys. But this time it was surprising."

"Chai, Madam chai", a boy of around 14 years of age interrupted us. "No thanks", we said in unison. And I continued. "I can't believe it. You liked Sidharth. ", I said returning to the topic.

"Yes, its true, I know but unbelievable. Later when we came back to hostel after three weeks we met Sidharth once in four days. He stays in a hostel quite close to ours. One day when Sneha was out in library completing her assignments, I was cleaning our room when I found a diary. It was Sneha's personal diary. I know I shouldn't have opened it. But I thank God now that I opened it for I stopped myself making a big mistake that day. I started reading it. She had written every detail of her life, her mom and dad, Sidharth and also about me. As I went on reading, I read something, which literally killed me. I read that she and Sidharth love each other. They are very much close to each other and share every detail thing in their life. Except her mom, dad, Sidharth and herself, all other disagree with them loving each other, for Sidharth has been brought up as the son of the family and so he is like a brother to her. But since her parents agree that they are destined to be together. I couldn't read a word further. I shut the diary down and saw Sneha entering inside. She saw me read it, but she doesn't mind it. But I really thank God that I read it. I had decided to tell her about me liking Sidharth that night itself. But even God wants them together and I didn't speak a word about it that night.

Tell me I did a right thing, isn't it?" , she asked me wiping off her tears.

"Absolutely right, you had no option left.", I said as we moved on towards bus stop.

"And you know watching me getting close to Sidharth she had asked me a day before if I like him but I lied her for I was not sure whether it is the right time for me to speak. But today I am happy that I sacrificed for her. She is happy with him. And I love that. ", she said as we got into bus.

We didn't speak for next twenty minutes. As we got down, she asked me "When to meet next?".

"Lets meet someday in next month. But to tell you the truth you have sacrificed something that was so precious to you, isn't it?", I asked her thinking about the depth of the pain she had.

"Well it was for someone I love very much, my friend Sneha", she said smiling as though she had forgotten Sidharth forever. But as a friend I could easily say how deep is the hurt in her heart.