Lost And Found

When I learned that I would be shifting to another school, I was as pleased as punch.

 You must be wondering why I was so untroubled. I'll tell you:

My best friend, Anaya, who I had known since preschool, was going to be with me all the way.

The first week in our new school went as normal as ever, with us keeping to ourselves, and not mingling too much with the other students. After about two weeks, I  made friends with a group of girls, who everyone considered to be the "most popular group" in school. There was an upcoming school event that we had to attend. I made plans for the event with my new friends, and Anaya was upset with me. She felt that I was neglecting her now that I had made new friends. I blew her off and told her that she was being over-possessive about our friendship. She tried her best to persuade me, but I ignored her. We never really spoke much after that episode.

My friends kept telling me that she was not the right person to be my friend.  They made me ignore her, and I believed them, not realizing that she had been with me through all these years. They kept telling me that I was better off without her.  In a span of two months, they had all become extremely egocentric, and I felt overwhelmed with all the sudden changes that had taken place after I had moved to this new school.

To exacerbate things, my aunt was diagnosed with a serious condition of skin cancer, and my heart sank hearing about this gloomy news. I was taken aback when none of my "friends" tried to comfort me. It was like they were too busy to worry about such things. I felt thoroughly subdued, and tears trickled down my face, as I sat in the hospital corridor, wondering what more unhappiness life had in store for me.

When I looked up, I saw someone, someone who I hadn't seen for what seemed like ages.

It was Anaya. She was standing there with a box of cupcakes, and a pretty little card stuck out of her bag. There were an awkward 15 seconds of silence, as I looked at her smiling down at me. I was perplexed to see her after such a long time. She sat beside me and comforted me, telling me that everything would be alright. Her heartfelt, bear-like hug immediately lifted up my spirits. We sat there for a long time, reminiscing the old days whilst munching on cupcakes. 

I ate humble pie and asked her to forgive me.

The only words that came out of her mouth were, "You were lost, and now you are found ."

Was I really lost? Maybe we all are. Lost in illusions, dreams, outward appearances, erroneous knowledge ...In fact, we are so lost, that we fail to see what's underneath.  But the essential thing is that we should surround ourselves with the people whom we love, those who love us for who we are, despite the flaws within us, and who can find us whenever we are lost.

~Veenaaz