Fantastico Four- friendship beyond years!

At a time when you away from home, you form friendships with the people who actually click and  because she sits next to you in class or goes in the van with you. And then, you spend 24 hours a day together. You share first crushes, heartaches, exam stress and what not. Nothing beats that!

When I joined medical college, I never knew I would find myself such incredible friends. We were a group of four girls, always together, always in sync and sometimes even in matching outfits.

For the kind of friends we were, there is only one word-fantastico, or rather the fantastico four!

The Fantastico Four comprised of:

1. The worldly wise- Our friend who was very practical and knew the ways of the world. Also, she knew the ways as she was the only one with the car.

2. The sleeping beauty- A gem of a friend who could do anything for the others in the group, as long as she was awake. We were her second love; sleep being the first!

3. The maida- Yes, you heard me right! She was too fair for Indian complexion and we incredibly gave her a complex for being so fair. Can you believe it? True friends!

4. The poet- The philosopher who could rhyme a normal conversation and convert it into a poem.

It is for you to guess which one of them was me.

Everyone found it difficult to believe that four girls could remain friends for long but we proved them wrong. If I sit and reflect back, wondering why the friendship was so strong, I realise that it was because these are the friends who

– risked the professor’s wrath to mark a proxy for me in class and then made me pay for it in every possible way.

– left no stone un-turned to embarrass me but did not anyone else even try to trouble me.

– who listened to my life’s ambitions, no matter how weird and even managed to nod and support me on them.

– patiently saw me make mistakes when I didn’t listen and then lent me a shoulder to cry on without saying-I told you so!

– saw the best and the worst side of me and still loved me.

– believed that one person’s enemy was all four’s. It was never ‘I don’t like him’; It was ‘We don’t like him.’

– shared the same tube of face pack with me.

– lied to my parents, their parents, someone’s parents to save each other’s asses.

– knew in detail of all the relatives in my extended family and the associated melodrama.

– went on a ‘geri’ together and switched off the  car A.C to save petrol.

– were always ready to act as mediator between me and potentially good suitors.

– passed letters from under the door when we fought.

– shared a single bed among the four of us when either was upset.

– synchronized steps with with on every song in a dance party.

– adjusted budgets together for one more coffee at CCD.

– made me feel comfortable even in my crazy avatar.

– had no qualms sharing wardrobes with me.

– felt shattered when they saw me sick but put up a brave front to motivate me.

 These are the friends who made college life a cherishable memory.

They were my second family who made staying away from home easier.

We still talk to each other,though we now talk about careers more than movies, parenting woes instead of Bollywood stars and family issues instead of college life. The topics of conversation have changed but the talk is still as animated as it used to be. Our friendship continues to blossom despite the fact that two of us are based in India and two in USA. Distance does not seem to matter at all. We are not physically present around each other but we are always just a call away whenever any one of us needs advice or just feels like chatting in the middle of the night.

The Fantastico Four has grown up, but has grown up together. The friendship stood the test of time and after 16 years, we are still equally crazy, happy and excited when we are together.

Love you my dears and I hope the madness never ends!