Serendipity

The new girl introduced herself as Maithili as we walked around the table and had everyone on the team say their names. The combination of its beauty and its association with the Ramayana’s heroine Sita made her name stick out to me. I refrained from telling her this because I was concerned about her reaction, given that today was her first day. She took a seat in the cube row directly across from mine, and we quickly got down to work. A couple of years ago, I would never have guessed that she would become one of my best friends. I find the workings of the universe to be a source of wonder.

Anyway, we started talking every day, but it was always strictly business, and I recall that she had to miss work for a few weeks due to a case of chicken pox. We never got to know each other since the world had to stop a week later when she returned due to the COVID pandemic. As soon as Maithili joined my team, we began communicating every day; over the course of over two years, our relationship grew from professional to friendly; at project’s end, we were able to vent to each other about the same colleagues. Having a mutual enemy can bring individuals closer together.

But I think we became close as our projects shifted, and our relationship shifted from leader to team member to friend. We got to talking more, and soon discovered that we both enjoyed reading. And I think Books are the main reason we became close, although later we found so many similarities — like our love for Lord Shiva, mutual interest in Indian Religion/Culture/Mythology, our mutual hatred of marriage and children, and our passion for money (which, btw, is the only reason we work and learn our asses off in IT). The bond between us flourished after we began exchanging books as gifts. To my astonishment, we frequently exchanged presents consisting of items the other did not already own. Even now, I don’t understand how it always works.

Plus, we’re big on eating, despise working out, have a secret desire to become librarians, and love chatting about everything from skincare and PMS to beautiful boys and art. If only one of us been a man, we could have gotten married and made our families happy. We have had actual conversations about this.

Finding her was a blessing, as it’s been like conversing with an alternate self. If anyone can relate to me, it’s her. You thank the stars because finally you’ve found someone who understands you completely. We may be in different cities, but thanks to modern technology, we can have concurrent conversations on several distinct apps. They say you don’t have any photos of you and your best pals together; you’re too busy making memories. That’s true in our case, we do not have any photographs of ourselves together, but the memories we’re creating together will last a lifetime.

Thank You Maithili for being you and being my friend. I love you.

Thank You Lord Shiva for blessing me with this friendship.