Why did he lie...

With a glass of coke in my hand, I was enjoying the company of my recently-made friends at one of the hotels in the city. It was a treat of one of my well-to-do friends on his success in his business. He had invited me. We had many friends in common and so, I had agreed to go and thus possibly meet my other friends as well. I did meet them, but having found them involved in a grave discussion impertinent to me, I had isolated myself from them.

Someone called me from behind. I turned. I was struck to see Harish, a buddy of mine whom I had not heard from for a long time, at least two years after the accidental demise of his mother. We had been best friends in college, but after that, my career had got the better of our friendship. Though I occasionally met him when I had begun to work, that too became difficult when the company began assigning a lot of projects with a short deadline. I, therefore, do not recollect when I last saw him; however, I knew that they were in a huge debt after his father had agreed for the marriage of his sister that cost him much more than their cumulative savings. After many abortive tries to find a suitable bridegroom for his sister, he had to relent on the one “yes” he had heard, with the condition that all the expenses that the boy-side would do on the marriage would have to be given in the form of dowry to them. He had no choice but to accept it. The expenses were through-the-roof.

Harish, on the other hand was all shining at the party. A new suit, gleaming shoes, gelled hair, wearing what seemed to be imported goggles, and with a glass of lemonade in his hand, walked towards me and took his goggles off. It was a great feeling to see him again. My face lit up. I was stunned by his appearance to say the least.

“How are you? And your father? You seem to be doing well.” I said.

“I am just fine as you can see. Baba, well he keeps a little ill. Nothing serious, however, just the ailments that are concomitant with age. His hearing and vision have suffered. Blood pressure and stuff,” he said.

“Oh. But look at you. You look brilliant!!! These goggles, all shiny shoes, and this blackberry, how did this happen, you found a gold nugget somewhere?”I asked, smiling.

“I set up my own business, and believe me, it is doing very good. How do you like quitting your job and partnering me?” he asked.

”No thanks I am just happy with whatever I do, and business is just not for me. So it was probably eight years before I saw you last, right?” I queried.

“Yes it was. After that…” he stopped and felt the blackberry making vibrations. “Excuse me, I have to answer this.” I saw him going in the open air to answer it, and within two minutes he was back. “Aaah, these clients never give me a moment’s rest.”

We chatted our time through, reliving our most cherished moments of college we had together. We lunched together. I understood he had grown very sophisticated and urban. His way of talking, walking; everything regarding him had turned up side down. From a modest guy coming from an average family, he had brought about a sea change in him.

I never knew how time sped. “It’s time I guess I should be going. Have to settle some deals with my clients”, he said. “Hey wait here; I’ll introduce you to my other friends. It’ll only take a moment of your precious time”, I said. He agreed to wait. I gathered three of my friends and when I came back, I saw, to my utter disbelief, Harish had gone. I tried searching him in the hall, but found him nowhere. Surprised and unsettled I became. “Well, now that was strange” I asked myself. “Did he get an urgent call from his father? Was something wrong?” He had left without exchanging cards. I had no means to reach him again.

His visit had made me reminiscent of those memories that had locked themselves in the deepest corners of my heart. Those were resurfacing. Why not just drop in the college I thought. Harish’s old house was just along the way. I said goodbyes to my friends and started out.

Going along the same path that I trudged nine years ago was certainly wonderful. The eat-out that was our adda, the tea stall where we sometimes spent our time, the road that we walked, somehow everything was just as it was. While I was going to the college, I caught a glimpse of Harish’s house. They must have left that house I thought, for Harish was now a wealthy man. Just then, I saw his father coming out. I was really surprised. His father seemed ill as he had said. But what I could not believe was how come his father was still there, in that house, when his son was doing so well. I knew Harish was a responsible person; he wouldn’t leave his father and have a life of his own. I went to him. His father instantaneously recognized me, and gestured me to come in.

I was still baffled. What was going on? I told him what I did, and where I was currently put up. I then narrated what had happened at the hotel. His father smiled.

His father began, in his husky voice, “You see, Harish now works in a theatre. He is a protagonist. And he has now a role to play of a very wealthy man in one of the dramas. He must have borrowed the clothes out for a day. Yes. That must have been the case. Three years after his college, one of my relatives offered him a place in theatre. He is doing well. Six years of diligence has made him a fine actor and has brought respect for him among his peers. I am happy for him. It is because of him that I was able to clear all the debt on me. Otherwise, we would have been on the roads. Thankfully, his sister is also fine, and has two children now- a son and a daughter. They visit me every month”, he said smiling. Then he showed album of snaps of Harish in his plays. It was just amazing. He asked if I wanted something to eat; I politely refused.

Just then, I saw Harish. He was just standing outside the door and avoiding me seeing him; but when I saw him, he came in and gave me a tight hug. Tears rolled out of his eyes. Why he lied to me in the beginning? Well, I never asked him and he never told me. But the question still remained, "Why did he lie?"