How much do I care ?

I definitely care enough for a person if I voluntarily choose to travel all the way from south bangalore, Kengeri to Whitefield on my day off, just to meet up with a friend for a couple of hours. If you are familiar with Bangalore, you will know that even with Metro, this is a good 1.5 to 2 hour commute. So why would I do that? I just wanted to have the whole day to myself and so I chose a place closer to my friend's home. That way only one of us had to commute a significant distance. I chose Metro purely because it was a holiday and I did not expect too many commuters - which usually would have thrown me off this option in the first place. Second, the distance made it automatically reasonable only to take the metro. So after cooking for my family, i got ready and off I went to the Kengeri station, bought a ticket and boarded the metro. It was one hour ride. I used that time to finish up "Never Lie" audiobook - just the last 20 minutes. Then I looked up and looked around. Observed kids laughing and playing, people usually avoiding eye contact. You could easily spot the regulars to the fresh riders. Knowing multiple languages made it fun to overhear conversations on the phone or friends chatting with each other animatedly. One hour - did not seem too much by metro. I am sure the road would have been tiring and frustrating too, and ofcourse expensive. My friend had already reached and we had a nice, 10 minute walk to the restaurant. I don't think those roads are ever that free during the rest of the year. The city is a beauty when everyone is out of the city during the holidays. The restaurant as such was perfect. It had the right christmassy vibe. Something we both love. The end of the year festive spirit, the hallmark, predictable christmas romance movies and the perfect ambience and music - all are common for us. Great food and conversations flowed on for a 3 hours moving from work to spirituality to the meaning of happiness, how we have changed, what we like doing and what we want to do. The vibes are just right and it is so easy to talk to her and discuss just about anything under the sun. And then we walked back to the station and it was time for me to head back home. The return seemed much shorter than I thought the onward trip was. It was refreshing and bright even after i reached home, because I was rejuvinated by the conversation and the laughs. Female friendships are important and I am glad to have a friend like her, who is bright, competitive, ambitious, holds a position of power, articulates very clearly, has different tastes, loves to travel and read. She is nothing like me, but we have the best time together. These days I know it is not the lack of time, it is the lack of intent when we do not meet someone. If you do have the intent and the person you care for extremely is available to meet you, effort falls into place and everything is possible. Hoping for many years of this friendship that I cherish and I get refreshed by! And so yes, for her, I will travel 2 hours voluntarily just to catch up. Hope you have friends like this too. Until next time, Happy Reading !