mihir

It was the month of November, and the year was 2019. It was the birthday of one of my closest friends. While she resided in Mumbai, having recently started working for a corporate firm, I was in San Diego — studying. Gifts were sent, and messages exchanged of how she held a dear position in my life — but the time difference and a working day meant that we were unable to talk over the phone for longer than two minutes. On the same day, about two hours before her birthday ended, I was surprised to see her message pop-up on my phone. There were telltale signs in her messages that she was having a horrible day — and that led to a half-an-hour conversation over the phone. She was in a new city, around people she had met just a few weeks prior; it was a working day, and office formalities didn't offer her any celebration other than the meet-and-greet birthday wishes! She had planned to reward herself with a dinner at a fancy restaurant with the money, and more importantly the effort th...