He loves me! He loves me not!!!! Ooof!!! This game is going to take hours! Reena was sitting in a train compartment and trying to spend, rather kill her time by playing a stupid game with flower petals. But it was not helping her as the train seemed to move slowly today, taking its own time to reach the destination where Reena’s heart was pinned. After a long time, she was going to meet her childhood friends in her native place. It had been almost 13 years now! How things must have changed! Her friends with whom she had played all her childhood must have grown up just like her, some might even have got married! One person whom she wanted to meet deadly was Riya, her best friend with whom she had spent some of the golden hours of her innocent life of childhood.

Riya was a vibrant flower who always infused energy in Reena with her unending enthusiasm and charisma. Reena never felt lonely when she was in company of Riya! She still remembered the day when her father got an opportunity with a big firm in Delhi and decided to move there. Reena felt as if her entire world had fallen apart! She was dead against her father’s decision and tried her level best to waver him from his decision. Be it tantrums, bad manners, cajoling or crying, Reena tried everything but to no use! Finally the day arrived when they had to say a final GoodBye to their native place and move away from an entire phase of their life. Every one from Reena’s parents, grandparents, her uncles and aunts, their family friends were visibly upset but neither of them ever portrayed it. After all, a son of their place was getting a golden chance to improve is living conditions It would have been a crime to stop him because of any emotional reasons!

While everyone was busy in bidding goodbye to Reena’s family, she was nowhere to be seen! Where was she?? Well, Reena was in the company of her true love, her best friend! Her Riya! Both the girls were sitting at their favorite place, near the village temple, secluded from outside world, where only two of them existed and no one else. Both of them had tears in their eyes and so many words on the verge of their tongues, but none of them could dare to speak a single word. Then finally, Reena hugged Riya and told her that she was her best friend and would remain so, no matter what happens. Even if they were to die tomorrow, they would remain best friends! They would not leave each other alone! It was a promise, which was to be kept not only till they were alive but even after their death.

Now after 13 years, Reena could proudly say that neither of them had broken the promise. Every single Friday was the day when Reena got Riya’s letter and she reciprocated back. It was only on 14th February 1997 that Reena didn’t receive Riya’s letter and she was hell lot of upset on that day. It seemed as if someone had taken her life out! Has something happened? Why didn’t Riya write a letter! Was something wrong? These very questions pestered her mind day in and out! But next Friday, when she received the letter, there was no limit to her happiness.

Riya said that she had gone to a place near her village and that is why couldn’t write a letter to Reena! But she didn’t tell her the name of the place. Reena’s village was in a far away region of Kerala, where there were no phone lines so letters were the only medium of contact between people and these 13 years had been so busy fro Reena that she couldn’t find time to visit her place. It was only once when her father took all of them back home and that too after 4 years of their exit.

Finally, the train’s whistle told Reena that she has reached her destination. Wow! But where is Riya? She hasn’t come to meet her on the station! When Reena had specifically told her that she would be there on the particular date. Has she forgotten? But how could this be? How could Riya forget the date! Reena, Reena!!! There was shout amidst the crowd. It was her youngest uncle who had come to pick her up. Her father must have told him about Reena’s arrival! Reena frowned, as she wanted to meet Riya first! Well, with a pretentious smile on her face, Reena waved back and started moving towards her uncle, when something caught her feet! Her heartbeat got fast! Something warned her against moving. She felt as if the entire the world has come to a standstill! She tilted her head sideways and her eyes rested on a water cooler kept on the railway station for the public. Underneath the water cooler, it was written in bold letter: “In the loving memory of Riya Sachdeva. May God rest her soul in peace!”

What?? Riya Sachdeva? There must have been a mistake! These people who write these boards have no sense of spellings and make such gruesome mistakes! Idiots! Her uncle had reached her by this time and was also reading the words, which she was reading. Come Reena lets go home! She heard her uncle telling her to move. People who go away don’t come back, only their memories remain like Riya’s. What? What was her uncle saying? She looked back and gave a weird look to her uncle! Was he on drugs? Uncle, who are you talking about? Words were automatically coming out of Reena’s mouth. I am talking about Riya, your friend, the one who died of jaundice years ago. I think it was some date in February 1997. Yeah! It was 14th February!. She was cremated outside the village.

Now the entire world started moving in front of Reena’s eyes? Riya was dead? Then who was writing her letters by her name? Was a common friend doing so? She took out the last letter and went straight to the post office. The officer there told her that the letter was sent from the same office but thee was no stamp on it! He was also shocked that how could a letter be sent without a stamp? So, was Riya sending her letters to keep their promise alive? Or had she given the task to someone who was sending her the letters? Reena is still looking for these answers!