My Best Friend

While I was enjoying the cool afternoon air from my house’s roof, I notice the lights switching on in a house 2 blocks away.

Have the residents come back after 2 long years of absence? Or have they sold the house? Whatever it is, I won’t be able to see my best friend, Trisha, ever again. She has gone to a very faraway place.

I still remember the day clearly, when she left without saying a word. Not to me. Not to her family. Not even to her father, whom she loved so much.

I remember that day, I woke up and went to call her. Even before I could knock, I was greeted by someone wailing. After that what followed shocked me to the core. I couldn’t believe what I heard. Trisha had committed suicide. The clown of our class, the Papa’s girl and the best friend was no more alive.

In few months after her death, her parents moved away from the house. Every part of the house reminded them of her. The drawing on the walls. Her books and toys in the shelves. Her death devasted them, especially her father. He cried day and night blaming himself for not knowing what troubled his daughter.

Though her parents didn’t know why their daughter took her life, I did. I knew exactly why she took her life. That’s why up even now I resent myself.

It was that incident.

Trisha had never told me. At one point, I noticed changes in her behaviour. She was no more the energetic, joyful person that I knew. She stopped being a clown in the class and became quieter. She also stopped seeing me after school to play. After some time she stopped coming to school, calling in sick. It was a week before she took her life, she popped up in school. She started behaving like her old self. We again started enjoying each other’s company.

I started visiting her house more often. One day, Trisha excused herself and had gone to the washroom. After some time her phone started to ring. She hadn’t returned from the washroom, so I picked up the phone. There was no name written. On receiving the call, I heard a brash voice.

“Hey little lass, is the money ready?”

I had been shocked. Who is this person? Why did he want money from Trisha? What was his intention?

“Why are you so quiet? Do you think you can be safe by just ignoring me? If you don’t want the video to be released, just listen quietly to what I say. In two days if you don’t gather a sum of 30 crores, I am releasing this video online. Just think about the humiliation your parents will have to face, right? And what about you? At such young age if this video gets released, would anyone want to marry you? I am sure you don’t want that, right? Hehehe…So in two days, we meet up in that place, ok?”

They hung up the phone. I had been left appalled. What video was this guy talking about? Was it that’s why Trisha changed so much? What should I do? Should I tell aunty and uncle about this?

I had been scared when I heard approaching footsteps. I quickly kept the phone in its place. After Thrisha came back there had been an awkward silence while we played games on her Xbox. After that, I took my leave and went home, without telling any soul about what I had heard.

The next day, Trisha hadn’t turned up the school. I knew why. She must have come to know that I also know about her secret now. As time passed, I started feeling guilty. I knew I should tell her parents about this and help her out of this trouble. But I was too scared to do so. What if these people start harassing me too? I won’t be able to fight them. After all, I am a girl, a weak and poor girl.

Late that night I kept thinking about Trisha. Her smiling face kept coming to me. Hadn’t see helped me whenever I got bullied? Wasn’t she the only one who came forward to be my friend, when no one in the class wanted to be? How can I be so selfish? I must call her. I must tell her that it doesn’t matter what others think, she would always be my best friend.

And I did. But she didn’t pick up. Still, I called her a couple of more times. But I didn’t get any response. I looked at the time and saw that it was 2 am. So, I decided that I will go to her house the next day and go to school together. Just like old times.

The sudden chill wind brought me back to the present. I regret that I hadn’t told anyone about the suffering Trisha was going through. Only if I had told someone, she could have been saved and we could have spent more time together.

Only if….

But now thinking about that won’t bring Trisha back. Anyway, it was getting dark outside, I must start heading downstairs.

I glanced at the house for the last time and then headed downstairs.

Sorry, Trisha. I hope you forgive me….