Friendship’s Feast
He’s living alone in the metropolis of Mumbai for a long time. He’s juggling many things in life—living alone, juggling between jobs, and finding peace. Another important thing with which he’s struggling is making his food.
Today is another day. He leaves the house without having any food. He is Sagar Malhotra, the manager in the AI intelligence department of a reputed company. He is a hard-working person, very particular about work, but at the same time, he is sweet and amicable. Sagar settles down in his cabin when someone knocks on the door and he allows them in.
She’s Sritha Singhania, Sagar’s colleague and a friend from college.
Sagar and Sritha were batchmates during their postgraduation and they ended up getting job in the same company. They’re lucky to have each other here in this place full of strangers. Sritha holds the design department and they keep on interacting due to work during the day.
Sagar gazes at her questioningly. Yeah, they have a scheduled meeting, but there’s an hour until the meeting begins. So, what is she doing here? He finds her staring at him and asks the reason, at which she shakes her head.
“Sagar, it’s just 9:30, right? So we still have time, don’t we?” She asks.
“Yeah, and you should update the files, Sri.” He replies, addressing her with the short name that he derived.
“Yeah, that I will do. But there’s something more important that you need to do.” Sritha replies, her gaze still fixed on him.
“And what is that, Ms. Singhania?” Sagar looks at her, and she smiles softly.
“It’s something of importance to me, Sagar. You might take it lightly, but I can’t. So, you wait here; I will be back in 5 minutes.” She says this and exits the cabin in an instant.
Sagar is confused at the moment. Did he do anything wrong with her? Or did he say something that hurt her? No! He didn’t. He’s just pondering his thoughts when she enters the cabin again. He watches her arranging two plates of food on the glass table.
“I know, you’re too lazy to cook for yourself. So, I brought you some breakfast. Come and have something. Otherwise, your hunger will turn into anger in no time.” Sritha looks at her friend, and he laughs.
“You know me better than I do, Sri.” Sagar says.
“Yeah! Why won’t I? I've got to tend to your anger every time.” Sri makes a face.
“What’d I do without you, Sri? By the way, what did you cook?” He asks, walking towards the table and peering at the plates.
“There’s Aloo Parathas and Pickle! Wow, did you read my mind?” He rolls his eyes at her.
“No, I’ve read you already, Sagar. I mean, I know you very well.” She says.
She’s astonished as he sits on the couch and starts having the parathas. She smiles as he continues to eat and praise her cooking skills.
“These are yummy, Sri. Thank you; you’ve always been my saviour.” Sagar appreciates her genuinely.
“Ah, yeah, your saviour when it comes to food. Remember, we bonded over food for the first time.” Sri looks at him as they trail down to that sweet memory of the past.
Sritha and Sagar first met in business school. At the beginning, they didn't know each other. Sritha used to be a quiet and shy girl who liked being alone. During a festival in their college, Sritha and Sagar ran into each other while getting ready for the event. That's when Sritha shared her food with him. It happened to be Aloo Parathas, and Sagar really liked them. From that day on, Sritha started bringing food for him regularly.
“You know what, Sri, after trust, food comes second in making the relationship stronger.” He jokes.
“Yeah, you’re such a foodie, Sagar. And you always eat up my share too.” Sritha complains as he picks up another paratha from her plate.
“You can always make more; how will I get it? So let me have some.” Saying so, he eats the remaining food.
Sritha can only smile at her best friend. He's really happy, and that makes her incredibly happy too. But she's not sure if he feels the same way she does. To her, it's more than just friendship, although she can't quite explain it. It's something special and meaningful to her.
He snaps his fingers in front of her, bringing her back to reality. She smiles at him.
“Where are you lost, madam?” He asks.
“Nothing, Sagar. I am glad you liked the food. Let’s get ready; I’ll check the file.” Sritha responds with a smile.
“Hey, are you alright?” Sagar asks.
“Yep, until you’re there, Sagar. I am happy.” Sritha responds with a smile.
Sagar says nothing but pulls her into a warm, friendly embrace. He’s thankful for her friendship and the soul food connection between the two.