A 12 Year Long Partnership.

We have been sharing a room for the last 12 years now.

We have spent nights talking and giggling over nonsense things. We have spent nights when I would switch on the fan full speed and she would go switch it off. We have spent wintry nights fighting under the pillows. And when she couldn’t cope with my might, she has woken up in the mornings to go open the balcony doors so that the cold breeze hit my head and disturbed my peaceful slumber. And instead of closing shut the door, I have been a lazy bum, pulling the blanket over my head and getting back into the arms of Morpheus (that’s the Greek God of dreams).

We have kicked each other, urging to take the phone call when it kept shrieking, waiting for attention in the next room. And we have done the same to the ringing of the doorbell. Abbe tu ja, abbe tu ja, last time main gayi thi, last time main gayi thi, is what we kept telling each other. We have hugged each other, feigning sleep while mom kept shouting at us to wake up and start studying for the exams. We have spent nights hearing our favorite songs in the walkman where one half of the headphone would be tucked in my left ear and the other headphone would be in her right ear. We have quarreled about what songs to hear, till we would decide to hear one each from each one’s favorite collection. So while I tolerated the Enrique crap, she had to put up with Jagjit Singh and Kishore. We have kept giggling at inane jokes the whole night, and then feigned sleep when mom woke up due to the noise and came to check on us. We have played silly games like who could burp louder. We have played missed call-missed call, and sent each other silly sms, lying side by side in bed. I have given her missed calls, my hands hidden well under the pillow while she would check it, thinking it to be from a friend. And then, we have scared the shit out of each other with those horror stories.

We have been together in our midnight adventures when we have stolen sweets from the fridge, gulping rasgullas and stuffing our pockets with chocolates. We have made each other the midnight coffee during the exams. And on our respective birthdays, we have woken each other from sleep to wish and give gifts. And when we would be unwilling to wake up on the Christmas nights to exchange presents, we have sung the Silent Night carol in the weirdest of adenoidal tones. We have sung the birthday song in a baritone voice to wake up the other person, all this done without the knowledge of the other people at home fast asleep. And then we have cut the birthday cake, opened gifts, had chocolates, brushed, and gone back to sleep. I have called her silly and foolish when she hung up her stinking socks on the Christmas eve. And when dad secretly filled up the socks with a hundred rupee note, she has called me a donkey in return. And then the next night, I was proved more foolish when I hung up my socks too, only to find it stuffed with shredded papers the next day.

We have slept with our backs to each other when we fought. When she was angry and I wasn’t, I’ve put my elephant-sized legs on her to irritate her. We have kicked each other, taking our turns till one of us got irritated enough to get up and start a pillow fight. And then, we have spent the night hurling pillows at each other. We have tried to bribe each other with chocolates when we forgot to switch on the mosquito repellant and were too lazy to get up and do it. And when I was down with fever, she has woken me up from sleep to feed me dinner, made me gulp those bitter tablets, and has lulled me to sleep again.

I have slept like a baby in her arms. She has snored like a hippo in my arms. We have slept on the floors in summer nights when both of us were too lazy to clean our beds of the mess of clothes and books. And then we have bargained over who would tuck in how much of the mosquito net and who would make the bed. I have slept with those pillared legs of mine over her while she kept kicking me in sleep. And when nothing would do, we have sung songs made horrible by us to disturb the other person. We have played silly games where we would give a word to the other person and ask her to sing a song with that word. And then I have given her words like Rangoon (mere piya gaye Rangoon) and ghonchu (main akal ka kolu hoon ghonchu hoon). And when she would sing a sweet song on moonlit nights when there was no electricity, I have sung a different song at a different scale on purpose to confuse her.

But mostly, we have spent nights switching on the fan full volume and switching it off, and hurling bed sheets and pillows at each other. Not to mention the way I’ve howled like a dog when she would be singing a sweet lullaby. And yes, I have secretly kissed her cheek just to see her smile in sleep. And she claims that she has done the same with me.

Finally, the 12 year long partnership shall come to an end. Henceforth, we shall be sleeping on our respective beds thousands and thousands of miles away from each other. And while she turns in sleep, I’ll turn in my sleep, our respective thoughts laden with memories of these sweet moments frozen in time.

Tonight shall be our last night together.

sunshine.