The diamond nosepin shone bright. His smile was tender. Her enthusiasm infectious.

‘You should meet him, you really should.’

She insisted when she came to know that I was going to be in town.

‘Miss’, she said and I teased her, ‘where did you pick this up?’

‘It is like that here miss, she said, no, mam..’,she struggled.

Why don’t you call me chechi, that would be really nice,’ I prompted.

‘I will get there miss, no mam’, she blurted and we all laughed.

Meeting her after 5 years meant that I was also meeting this young bright lady happier and in a place of contentment.

‘You know well, mam, what I have been through and maybe it is my good karma or my mom’s prayers that I am here today in this place, with this man’. She pointed to the young man sitting next to her,

‘He is my love, my savior, my friend and much more.

The young man blushed a little at the flurry of compliments hitting him. He looked like a gentle giant, protective, caring but ambitious for her and her daughter. They made a perfect picture.

‘My daughter is so happy mam, she wanted to meet you too.’

‘You know what, when I thought about a second chance, my best friends thought me silly’.

‘What if things go wrong again?, my relatives asked’.

‘Are you not too old for all this drama, some one commented, why can’t you concentrate on your daughter’s future?’

‘But mam, I wanted to find someone and live happily. I was insistent. I registered on a matrimony site and checked up profiles. With his, it clicked right at the beginning. Our first telephonic conversation was really special’.

‘It is worth a try, it really is’. ‘I tell this to everyone, I have almost become a brand ambassador for second marriage, my friends tease me!’.

The twinkle in her eyes brightened the shine of her nose pin and the diamond studded earrings.In the soft glow of the hotel lights, they looked adorably made for each other.

‘I like the slow pace of life here. I like to take Tania to tuition and karate classes. I like taking care of her guinea pigs.’

‘I am glad I took this chance, this girl has made me happy and her daughter has given me what I always wanted, unconditional love and respect. I am thoroughly enjoying this phase of my life and want it to last forever.’

‘We will drop you back, chechi,’ she said, ‘don’t worry, you are not going to miss the bus back to Bangalore’, he added reassuringly.

This is an interesting phase in my life when I am regularly running into my old friends and thoroughly liking it. When time or distance has not dulled the warmth of friendship then such friends are truly special.

So, I think. What would you say?