Guests of Honour

I had been having a packed schedule. I decided to squeeze in a dinner with a friend who I had to catch up with. We met. And then they happened.

They came like a pack of hyenas, hunting opportunities to kill time. Polite as they were, they exchanged friendly greetings. Courtesy demands we reciprocate and we did. Taking a step further, they joined the table with us. Acquaintances demand respect. This is the land where we not only preach, but practice the belief `Atitithi Devo Bhavah`. We obliged to host them on our table.

Before they joined in, we were having a conversation. After they joined in, they were talking and we were listening. I cannot tell you how much fun it was! My friend in fact was the cynosure of their attention. She particularly enjoyed being a butt of their jokes, being the person that she is.

We had a quick dinner and decided to head for tea. Having taken our silent consent, they tagged along. While we were walking to the tea stall, there was a moment of silence. The two ran out of constructive topics to discuss. Being the perceptive people they were, they asked “Sab chup kyun hogaye?” My friend politely replied “Kyunki aapne bolna band kar diya.” Having understood this as well as the other subtle compliments we had given them, my friend and I realized they were here to stay.

After the brief un-awkward silence, they resume their interaction with us. They went on for another 20 minutes. We were having so much fun that we decided to not continue our meeting post the tea break, each heading our way.

Our meeting was productive. We spoke for a whole 5 minutes in that hour. That is more than what we could have asked for, having over 3 months of each other`s life to catch up with. It would have not been possible without their contribution.