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The Most Precious Thing I Lost — A Writing Challenge
Loss Without Closure
I was forever losing things in my younger days. For instance, in the first month of my hostel stay in Kanpur, where I went to study engineering, I lost my watch. I am embarrassed to say I lost many valuable things in my younger years. I got better over the years, especially after marriage, as my husband is very careful, and his double-checking and reminders gradually rubbed off on me. But if I have to think of the most precious thing I lost, it is a childhood friend. If a loss still troubles me after 50 years, it must have been something precious.
Before you let your imagination run wild and think something bad happened to my friend, let me assure you that nothing of the sort happened. There was also no drama or a falling-out, leading to a deliberate decision to end the friendship. In fact, I could say she was the sweetest person and very understanding. Even if we disagreed on something or had some small argument we would be quite for 5 minutes and then one look in each other eyes and we would burst into laughter and forget all about the argument.
I still remember when Vandana walked into our class as a new student in the fourth grade and she smiled shyly when I offered her a seat next to me. There was a kind of maturity and kindness in her light eyes that drew me to…
