Life & Lemons

College cultural festivals are annual fun hotspots. The fest's purpose is to build & sustain college brand value. The sponsors view these fests as a platform to imprint their brand on the young generation's minds. While in actuality, it is for students to showcase their talent, explore & demonstrate organising skillset & whatnot. Whatever may be the purpose of such festivals, some people are oblivious to it. The sole agenda of some students is to bask in the excuse of the cultural festival to coax lectures & professors to cancel classes. Utilise the time to hang out at the kiosks, watch a few talents shows or escape from the campus to catch a movie at the nearest theatre. A couple of friends who belonged to this category roamed around the campus like free birds.

The duo stopped at the stalls & picked up funky accessories to go with their college attire. As they passed the food stalls, they picked up a large French fries each & munched on them. The friendship was deep-rooted & time tested. Yet they respected the boundary of not sharing French fries. It was a cardinal rule from day one. As it was the last day of the fest, the campus seemed to be in chaos. The stalls were being disassembled & packed up. As the girls roamed the campus, a couple of boys approached. The boys introduced themselves & the girls courteously greeted them. The boy in a black t-shirt who called himself Dhruv addressed Aasma, "May I have a word with you?" She grinned & replied, "Yeah, sure."

Raashi's jaw dropped at the response. Aasma blinked slowly at her friend & it conveyed, 'It is okay.' Aasma & Dhruv walked towards another side of the campus, leaving Raashi & Joe behind. Raashi felt parched & pearls of sweat formed on her palms. Joe spoke as though he had known Raashi all her life. She couldn't believe what a smooth talker he was. She only replied when he enquired something & otherwise nodded to what he said. After an agonising 15mins, the duo reappeared & a sigh of relief escaped Raashi's lips. Joe realised his time was up & asked her, "May I have your number, please?" Raashi was astonished at the candidness. She smiled awkwardly & politely responded, "Sorry, I am not comfortable sharing my number." Joe replied, "That's alright." She was amazed at his calmness & unoffended demeanour. Aasma made an excuse to visit the library & boys left after a brief goodbye.

Raashi angrily questioned, "You left me alone with some random guy & walked away with another one. I was worried sick for our safety. What were you thinking?" While Aasma laughed wholeheartedly, Raashi was offended. Aasma wiped her tears of laughter & replied, "Girl, we are in broad daylight on our campus. What were you worried about?" Raashi realised all the suspense thriller movies & series had such a strong impact that she imagined the worst would happen. Aasma continued, "Would I leave you in harm's way & walk away with a random fellow?" It dawned on Raashi how silly she was & her mood lightened. Raashi agreed, "Alright, I panicked & worried unnecessarily."

As the girls roamed the campus, Raashi recited the whole conversation with Joe. When they approached a juice stall, Raashi suggested, "The whole ordeal & stress has parched me. Let's get something to drink." The duo picked up lemonades & continued to walk. Raashi enquired Aasma, "Now tell me, when Dhruv asked your name, why did you say a different name?" Aasma exclaimed, "Why would I tell my actual name to some unknown fella I meet randomly in college fest?!" Raashi stopped walking & eyebrows knotted. Aasma walked a few steps & realised her friend wasn't by her side. She looked back & asked, "What?" Raashi shook her head & replied, "Damn! I wasn't thinking." Aasma replied, "What's in it to think? You should have such false personal details ready." Raashi challenged, "How would I know?" Aasma excliamed, "Oh boy! You, are that naive?" Raashi smiled awkwardly, Aasma shook her head & both sipped lemonade.

Aasma narrated that Dhruv casually spoke & said all the right things to impress her. Raashi was mesmerised at how calmly Aasma spoke. Aasma caught her friend's expression & raised her eyebrows in a question. Raashi enquired, "How are you so cool about this incident? I could hear my heartbeat better than what Joe spoke." Aasma coolly responded, "Make the best use of every situation." Raashi enquired with curiosity, "What does that mean?" Aasma explained, "Firstly, bask in the attention you get as there is no harm. Secondly, it is a good practice session to face the real world. We may face such unexpected situations frequently." Raashi raised her paper cup, "As the saying goes when life throws you lemons, make lemonade." Raashi curiously inquired, "How do you know all this? Have you joined some additional course that I am unaware of?" Aasma laughed, "Nope, these are lessons from my elder sister. " Raashi enquired, "How did she come up with these lessons?" Aasma replied, "Apparently when the first guy approached her, she went home crying. Later shared the incident with our younger cousin & he enlighted her."

Raashi enquired, "Alright, Did Dhruv ask for your number?" Aasma responded, "Yea & I gave him a number." Raashi's eyes popped & exclaimed, "You gave your number?" Aasma enquired, "Did you bump your head somewhere? I said, 'a number'. Not 'my' number." Raashi said, "So you changed the last digit or something?" Aasma exclaimed, "No! He may try all permutations & combinations to find the number, so no risks." She continued, "Do you think these guys spoke only to the two of us? God knows how many such numbers they have collected. To top it off, they may distribute these numbers to their bunch of friends. Just like people distribute kadale puri (puffed rice) & sweets to random people at the Ayudha pooja festival." Raashi laughed at the analogy. Aasma raised her eyebrows & eyeballs almost popped out of the socket, "Seriously! Think about it."

The friends finished drinking the lemonade, crushed the cups & disposed of it in a nearby dustbin. Raashi agreed to Aasma's inference & asked, "So you gave your parent's or relative's number?" Aasma knocked on Raashi's head & articulated, "Yeah, right! My family will skin me alive." Raashi massaged her head & asked, "Then?" Aasma said, "I byheart numbers on posters for laundry, lose weight promotions or data entry job." Raashi was amused at her friend's smartness. Raashi asked, "So who's number did you give today?" Aasma giggled, "Pest control."

Take Away: When life throws lemons have tequila shots, it gives a better kick than lemonade.