My Dear Friend...

Sindhu and Sandhya were very good friends, both like being together whenever they find time, though status wise Sandhya is not to be compared with Sindhu as she is the daughter of the servant maid who works in Sindhu's house. Sindhu had a soft corner towards Sandhya and she used to pity her for being poor, so Sindhu used to share anything and everything with her all the time. Sindhu hates to go to school as she would feel bad that she has to miss Sandhya who cannot afford to go to school, she used to think why if she can go to school, and why not Sandhya, but all these financial constraints are not easily understood by a 4 year old girl.

Sindhu's dad and mom did not mind their daughter being so close to Sandhya, in fact they had planned to join Sandhya in the same school where Sindhu studies and also assured their maid that they will take care of all her educational needs, their servant maid had not words to thank them. This being summer holidays, Sindhu and Sandhya used to play all day long and Sandhya used to have food with Sindhu at her place, though their maid was not so comfortable in allowing Sandhya to be at Sindhu's place all the time, because she felt that Sandhya is disturbing them and their privacy, but she was comforted by Sindhu's parents that Sandhya is also like their daughter and she can be here as long as she wants.

Sindhu enjoyed playing with Sandhya all day long and they shared all their little secrets, Sindhu used to teach Sandhya A B C D's and some amount of mathematics, she will act as if she is the teacher and she would somehow grab one of her mom's saree and wear it in the way she knows and also she grabbed a stick from her garden, she will enact the same way how her class teacher teaches her, Sandhya too will be an obedient student, she will be very attentive to Sindhu's classes. Sindhu's mom will watch all these fun from a distance and then will admire her enacting skills. Sindhu was happy to teach and will also give homework to Sandhya which she needs to get it done by the next day. It’s a pure kid's world where you and I cannot fit in.

It was Sindhu's birthday party that day and each and every kid in the near by neighborhood were invited and of course Sandhya was her main company, Sindhu's parents had got Sandhya a set of new dress which she was wearing on for the party, Sindhu was very happy that Sandhya too is wearing a new dress, that is what we call "empathy", Sindhu had that quality by nature. Each and every kid gave Sindhu some gifts and that made Sandhya feel bad that she cannot give any gift to her best friend Sindhu, she does not know the fact that her mom does not have money to get Sindhu a gift. She went to Sindhu and told her that she has nothing to give her as a gift and by the time she was in all tears, but Sindhu comforted her by saying, she herself is a big gift to her and she does not need anything special other than that. This statement brought tears even in the eyes of her parents.

Now problem started to creep in for Sindhu's parents, whenever Sandhya is not with her, Sindhu even refused to eat or sleep. Her parents sensed that there is a big problem that is growing because of this and were scratching their head to find out a solution to this, Sandhya cannot be with Sindhu forever, but Sindhu is not that matured to buy that fact. As a temporary arrangement Sindhu's parents requested their maid to leave Sandhya with them till summer holidays are over, and she too agreed to that. Sindhu could not believe that Sandhya is going to be with her all the time till the holidays get over, and also she knows that Sandhya is going to come and join her same school once the holidays are over. Sindhu kissed her dad and mom for making Sandhya to stay with her.

One fine day Sandhya fell ill and she had a very high fever, they immediately informed their maid and she came and picked her daughter up and took her to the hospital, Sindhu's parents also went along with her and then admitted her to the hospital. They were very scared of how Sindhu will react to that, but somehow they managed to convince her by saying Sandhya is not feeling well and she will be back with her once she is feeling good, Sindhu too felt that Sandhya will be back very soon and prayed to GOD for her to recover fast. Sindhu's parents felt that this is also a blessing in disguise in a way Sindhu will learn to be on her own without Sandhya.

It’s been a week since Sindhu missed Sandhya and being a kid, she a kind of started to forget her, and she was very normal and did not ask where Sandhya is and pester them. At the same time Sindhu's parents were very worried about Sandhya's health and there has been no news from their maid on her health condition. Weeks rolled on and Sindhu showed no signs of remembering Sandhya and her parents thought that she has got over the thought of missing Sandhya and hence she is perfectly alright. Sindhu used to be in her normal sense and she continued playing her enacting skills and was teaching A B C D without anyone in front of her, this made her mom feel sad. And that is what I meant as a kid's world.

The next day morning, Sindhu was as usually busy with her playing and this time she was teaching maths, and her mom came screaming into her bedroom and asked her what she is doing? She replied back to her mom in a rather husky voice saying, "I am teaching Sandhya math’s today, yesterday I was teaching her English, but the moment she saw you coming into my room, she ran and hid herself into the bathroom, even today she did the same thing" and giggled, this made her mom's spine to chill, as she got the news from her servant maid that Sandhya passed away a week back at the hospital.