Is This Friendship?

A couple of years back, when I was living in Chennai, ,one day, I was asked  by my son why I was not even calling my friend for 41 years  at Bangalore  either through the net or by telephone.

 

I replied to him that I did not know and it did not simply strike me to call him!

 

Then, a couple of years later we moved to Bangalore where my friend lives.

 

I called him and we met and my son was also present.

 

My son asked my friend the same question he asked me as to why my friend did not contact me .

 

My friend replied that it did not strike him!

 

Later we went on talking.

 

My son asked in between the conversation  that we were talking as though we had left the last night’s discussion and continued the discussion though we had met in person some years back.

 

Well that sums up our friendship.

 

We do not need to call each other daily and chat.

 

Nor do we celebrate Friendship day.

 

Our relationship is as natural as the flow of River.

 

Other curious factor in our Friendship is that he can not speak my mother tongue fluently nor can I his.

 

We manage with English and with our limited Knowledge of each other’s language.

 

Professionally he is a business man and I, a management professional.

 

I met him as the brother of my Dealer, way back in 1971 and initially we were reluctant to speak with each other.

 

Till to-day neither of us know when we started getting close.

 

Meanwhile his brother through him I met my friend , remains at the state of my former dealer and commands my respect and nothing more though he is a very nice and knowledgeable man.

 

We share things which we can not share with none, that includes family.

 

There are many instances where he came to my help unasked for.

 

He gave me a  hand written note on the eve of my 60th Birth day declaring that I had made him laugh, advised him in times of crisis and shared things with him and given him things !

 

Yesterday was his 60th birth day and I attended it and I was treated more than a member of his family.

 

I do not know what to call this?

 

Friendship,Affection,Love?

 

By normal standard definitions of the above, we do not chat or express our friendship overtly.

 

If it is affection , one constantly seeks reassurances .

 

If Love it has its Highs and Lows.

 

Ours is neither.

 

I wanted to write on our friendship after attending his function.

 

This morning I came to know of Friendship Day.

 

What better Day to write, the Day I came to know of it?