As hard as the pandemic was, there were a few things I remember fondly. First is the fact that Natasha was home – so all four of us plus Jay Jay were together. The second is the bubble we had of three couples. Dipanjan, Parijat, Avijit, Shrabani and us. The third was of course the solitude and silence I enjoyed during the quarantine period when I myself had Covid.

The bubble of three couples would come out most every evening (late – to avoid too many people) to go for an adda and drinks. Thru trial and error, we had found our perfect spot – Truck and Tap in Alpharetta downtown. We always sat outside under the heaters they had. Somehow the inside would be crowded but nobody wanted to sit outside. Which suited us just fine. Jay Jay would come with us and lay down on his bed that we would drag with us.

I was the designated drink bearer. Armed with masks, I would fight thru the young crowd teeming inside and get our drinks. Lisa and Payton knew our drinks and I did not even have to bother to order!!

I miss those days.

Today, Sharmila and I went there and sat exactly at the same spot and had drinks. With the heater on. The other couples were not there. And regrettably, Jay Jay was missing too! We missed all of them.