It was one of those gorgeous Friday evenings in Atlanta. It was warm but drafty. Sat down on our Adirondacks in the patio with a glass of wine to wave at passers by and catch up on my weekly Economist reading.
Presently, Sharmila and Jay Jay joined me. And you can see the effect of the said light breeze on a warm day on them!!
The school had given us 48 hours notice to keep the secret. Her best friend Ava and she were going to be told that they were the Val-Sal for the class of 2022.
You can see the surprise on Nikita’s face as she walked in. She was apparently told by her teacher to go see the Guidance Counselor immediately. The first picture is when she realized that there were a lot of teachers in the room. The second one is when she turned around and realized that we were in the room too. The third one shows the disbelief in her face when she was told why she was there!!
They met in first grade and have been best friends ever since. You might even remember them together in some of the posts from our last vacation in Hilton Head.
That was a lot of fun watching her go from “What did I do to get into trouble?” to “Are you sure there is no calculation mistake here?”
Since I do not follow her grades, I had no idea how she was doing overall. But it seems it took her by surprise too!
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.
Monday evening, after work, Sharmila and I took Jay Jay out for a walk in Alpharetta downtown. Jay Jay loves Alpharetta downtown. After a long walk, we strolled in to our favorite hanging out place – Chiringa. We love the staff and the regulars there. And Jay Jay is welcome to come in!! Susan even got him an ice cream!!
