My proxy email to a girl who turns 27 today (and talks as fast as she did at 13). This MIGHT make you feel a bit as if you're tresspassing on the lawns of some beautiful, golden friendship. But don't worry. We write for the attention. And if anything, you'll only fall a-zzz..)
Dearest N,
Yesterday I met a journo friend from Bombay at this brewery place. He was with two of his non-journo friends. All of them were in town for the wedding of THEIR friend who was obviously busy being about-to-be married to idle away an afternoon with a bunch of his school buds, whom he would anyway see that evening. Except me. But he doesn't know me.
Basically, I ended up having some pitchers with a bunch of really sweet boys, two of whom I met for the first time. One madcap event manager -- going through a divorce, has four dogs - a great dane (called Maya), a lab, and 2 small Pekingese type. The other, a lawyer who lives in London and he met his wife at an ugly-pullover party he threw that she crashed. (Great idea, huh, everyone dressed in their woolly worst.) I didn't ask him - is that why you married her - because hers was the most hideous of all sweaters? Instead, I told him, hey one of my closest friends has just moved to London. Please invite her to your next ugly woolly bash. Maybe she'll meet someone..
See, how I still look out for you? At breweries that play Celine Dion-but-also-Aerosmith-and-Bob Dylan-but no Bollywood, in strange, lawyer-involving, knitting needle ways..? So, um, if some guy with a nasalish voice rings you... thank me later..
Signed,
Trust Me
Dearest N,
Yesterday I met a journo friend from Bombay at this brewery place. He was with two of his non-journo friends. All of them were in town for the wedding of THEIR friend who was obviously busy being about-to-be married to idle away an afternoon with a bunch of his school buds, whom he would anyway see that evening. Except me. But he doesn't know me.
Basically, I ended up having some pitchers with a bunch of really sweet boys, two of whom I met for the first time. One madcap event manager -- going through a divorce, has four dogs - a great dane (called Maya), a lab, and 2 small Pekingese type. The other, a lawyer who lives in London and he met his wife at an ugly-pullover party he threw that she crashed. (Great idea, huh, everyone dressed in their woolly worst.) I didn't ask him - is that why you married her - because hers was the most hideous of all sweaters? Instead, I told him, hey one of my closest friends has just moved to London. Please invite her to your next ugly woolly bash. Maybe she'll meet someone..
See, how I still look out for you? At breweries that play Celine Dion-but-also-Aerosmith-and-Bob Dylan-but no Bollywood, in strange, lawyer-involving, knitting needle ways..? So, um, if some guy with a nasalish voice rings you... thank me later..
~
What I will thank YOU for -- in true 'your style', of being out there and rapid fire and individualistic and mushy and all, just-say-it! -- is being this incredible (but also borderline overbearing) mix of intensity and compassion and understanding and support. I'm going to not succumb to the it's-right-there-at-the-brink-of-my-mind sitting duck well of memories from school. You are so NICE, woman! That bottle of water you actually went home to get when I, along with those two idiots, pretended to be so tired and immobile? And you saw no big deal in it -- ok, this shit I'll keep for the email. Which might fail after this paean.
~
Define lonely, you told me. Write about that? you asked in your rising intonation (which you picked up from god knows where). Loneliness? I'm not going to. It's not that time yet. But I did think this: if I didn't have you to write to, I wouldn't know what to do with my words.
But that just sounds good. More truth lies in that if I didn't have you, I wouldn't know what to do. when I am wrong, headed for trouble, and living on a blade, I can, with such resolute belief, rely on that YOU, if anyone, will not judge me. I don't know if everyone has that. You're a good egg, a short one. :)
Since you've been living away, you've picked up this habit of saying 'yes.., yes...' like a nodding prompter. Like what I'm saying deserves to be said. Like the opinion counts. Too often we have friends who laugh at us, in a way that just sometimes veers on cruel. It's all a joke. It's all good. Ha ha. You can't take it seriously. What I love about you is that you're so unabashedly supportive and encouraging of your friends, of me, you don't think it's cheesy at all! Not without your humour. But you don't mock. When you ask how I am, you ask to hear my answer. And if I reply with a degree of vulnerability, you keep that safe. And treat it right. I respect that. I love that. It's a trait I don't see everywhere. And you're getting better with age:). You'd never be the friend I didn't want to call back.
I'm sorry for that time in school... slipping into memory mode, but just this one? -- when I called you 10 times and forgot 6 th Dec is your birthday. You're the chick in Thornbirds. (But she was born on Dec 8th, I think. Maggie was her name?) 'Ashes of roses'.. definitely. Remember that? The colour was born for you:)
I'll do the email. If you still wanna-wanna. But while we're still rocking the put-it-out-there scene, happy, happy birthday, you nifty angel. The years ahead are gorgeous. It'll come together. For a woman of your capacity to care, it dare/can't not.
But that just sounds good. More truth lies in that if I didn't have you, I wouldn't know what to do. when I am wrong, headed for trouble, and living on a blade, I can, with such resolute belief, rely on that YOU, if anyone, will not judge me. I don't know if everyone has that. You're a good egg, a short one. :)
Since you've been living away, you've picked up this habit of saying 'yes.., yes...' like a nodding prompter. Like what I'm saying deserves to be said. Like the opinion counts. Too often we have friends who laugh at us, in a way that just sometimes veers on cruel. It's all a joke. It's all good. Ha ha. You can't take it seriously. What I love about you is that you're so unabashedly supportive and encouraging of your friends, of me, you don't think it's cheesy at all! Not without your humour. But you don't mock. When you ask how I am, you ask to hear my answer. And if I reply with a degree of vulnerability, you keep that safe. And treat it right. I respect that. I love that. It's a trait I don't see everywhere. And you're getting better with age:). You'd never be the friend I didn't want to call back.
I'm sorry for that time in school... slipping into memory mode, but just this one? -- when I called you 10 times and forgot 6 th Dec is your birthday. You're the chick in Thornbirds. (But she was born on Dec 8th, I think. Maggie was her name?) 'Ashes of roses'.. definitely. Remember that? The colour was born for you:)
I'll do the email. If you still wanna-wanna. But while we're still rocking the put-it-out-there scene, happy, happy birthday, you nifty angel. The years ahead are gorgeous. It'll come together. For a woman of your capacity to care, it dare/can't not.
Signed,
Trust Me
10 comments:
this made me tear up! :) thank you, thank you. love you.
I'm n too and I say my work here is a-done. (how blatantly self expressing or what! :) xx
" if I didn't have you to write to, I wouldn't know what to do with my words."
..that's exactly right and what I suspect finally drives folks to do a book!
Nice post.. bit sappy but then Celine Dion mention'd already spilt my coffee :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmG4X9PGOXs&feature=relmfu
Aww. Happy birthday to your friend. I have one such of my own. Yay.
Your post just made me feel better after a crappy day so thanks :). I've been lurking around your blog for a while now, too shy to say anything. Anyhow, you have a lovely way with words.I hope you keep writing!
Its like reading sunshine! :D
N: will you be my friend?
Bump! Harpy nu year! Ill hear from you next year?
Happy New Year Kid! May you get lotsa chocolates and cotton candies all through the year! :D
pls to write, madam pipi
reading old posts to keep that neem wala pip flavor up, my word, you can come up with seriously good stuff
- k
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