For M.. With all my love

So when I met M for the first time I never thought that we'd be friends.. You know because of the Senior/Junior thing that we otherwise term as the "Generation gap".. But when I met M for the first time, I also wasn't prepared for meeting the most calm person ever who was also the coolest, most fun person you could ever meet at the workplace.. So after exchanging pleasantries I asked if she had any work for me and after much thought she gave me some letters to prepare.. It became a daily routine.. I would go to M's desk, greet her with a reverential "Good morning, Ma'am" and ask her if she had any work to assign to me.. and she didn't have much work to give me but I had nowhere else to be so I would sit next to her and watch her as she would go through the day doing her work in a methodical manner.. Her day would begin with a call to her husband as soon as she reached office.. Her next call would be to a friend who is now my friend too.. (heh heh heh) and then she would start her work.. When I would see how she interacted with the people around, and how different she was with her friends/people she was comfortable with, I immediately wished that I could be friends with her.. One because I'd just left home in Mangalore to join work in Bangalore and I was lonely as hell and two because M seemed to be a fun person to get to know.. 

I remember this one instance where M told me to put on the fan, since I was closer to the switchboard.. So she said to me, 'Sharon use your looooong hands to put on the fan".. then I got a fair idea of what was in store.. I knew I had found my kind of "goofy/crazy".. So slowly the conversations began to become more fun, as we gave up our inhibitions and there was this phase where M would call me Junior/child and one day I just retorted that I'm old enough to give children.. That made her go quiet for a bit and that's when she realised that she'd met her kind of "goofy/crazy" and like they say "There was no looking back from then on"..

Over the years M graduated from a colleague to a close friend.. I would like to say "Best friend" but then that would limit her role in my life.. There is no role that she hasn't played in my life and that's why despite all the ups and downs our relationship has been through over the years, she is still my safe space.. she's still the person I'll always go back to at the end of the day.. some times I'm an ass and want to behave like a prick, giving her a hard time just because I can.. but I will always always go back to her.. A friend rightfully has remarked that M is my 'kryptonite'.. I'm one of the most sensible, mature person you can ever come across, but when it comes to M, all logic flies out of the window.. She's someone who can bring me down to my knees and I hate it that she can make me feel this way..

So when M decided to call it a day at work and put in her papers, it sort of shook me.. over the years M has seen a lot of struggles and tough times.. And in the present work set up it was probably getting a bit too much to manage both the professional life and personal responsibilities.. When she initially told me that she wants to quit the job, I never thought she would go through it.. But it's important to do what's best for oneself and other important people in one's life.. So I guess the decision while a very painful one for M, was a well thought out one.. 

I had always imagined that I'd be at M's relieving function when she retired.. The date came a decade earlier.. and she called me this morning and asked if I wanted to come for her relieving function.. It's a hectic time for me at work presently, so I was hesitant initially. But as soon as I hung up on her I knew this was one occasion that I HAD to be a part of.. If you know M closely, you'll also know that it's not easy for M to ask for something.. So for her to call up and ask if I wanted to be a part of her relieving programme was a big thing.. And I knew this was one of those instances that I cannot be a prick.. So a friend and me attended her relieving function along with her family..

It's no surprise that M is popular at her workplace, with her colleagues gushing about her patience, and ability to stay calm even under extreme pressure.. It was just unfair to have been asked to speak a few words for her at her function.. How do you summarise 15 years of knowing someone so closely? It was a sad moment for me.. Although it's M who has quit, it feels like an end of an era for me.. All those years of endless conversations, lunch outings, innumerable texts messages exchanged, looking into each other's eyes and sharing that secret smile (also termed by a friend as "Aankhon Aankhon mein").. 

To sum up what all her colleagues said today: M is non judgmental.. M is calm and composed.. M is hardworking and committed.. Well, according to me, M is all that and much more.. M is simply the best.. Today as M steps into a new phase in her life I pray that she is blessed with a contented and healthy life.. May she find the peace that her presence brings to so many of us.. And I hope retirement brings her the chance to do whatever it is that she always wanted to do but didn't get to..

Wish you the very best that life has to offer..

With all my love,

S