Small Story 338.

Small Story 338 Nothing Is Permanent-AStory of Friendship and Healing Radhika and Rekha were close friends who had worked together in the same audit department for nearly twenty years. Life had been steady and fulfilling—until tragedy struck. Radhika’s beloved son, Anoop, met with a fatal accident in Bengaluru, along with his friend Rakesh. Anoop had been a brilliant student who had won a scholarship to a prestigious university in the United States. His untimely death shattered Radhika. Soon after, Radhika took voluntary retirement and moved to Mumbai, where her husband had been transferred to a leading IT firm. Rekha, meanwhile, continued to live in Bengaluru with her family. Her daughter had recently gotten married, and her husband, Dr. Ramesh, worked in a local hospital. Although the two friends had shared so much in the past, they hadn’t met for almost seven years. Their communication was limited to the occasional message or phone call. But the bond between them remained. One morning, Rekha found herself missing Radhika deeply. She told her husband, “I have to see her. I just feel I need to.” Surprised but supportive, Dr. Ramesh encouraged her to go. Their daughter Nisha, who lived nearby, agreed it was a good idea. Rekha quickly booked a 6 PM flight to Mumbai, planning to surprise her old friend. That evening, Rekha arrived at Bengaluru International Airport and entered the domestic departures terminal. As she was passing through security, she heard someone calling from behind, followed by the sound of clapping. She turned around—and to her utter amazement, there stood Radhika, just stepping out from the arrival area. The two friends stood frozen for a moment before rushing into each other’s arms, overwhelmed with emotion. After their long hug, Radhika called her husband and simply said, “I’ve reached Rekha’s place safely.” On their way back to Rekha’s home, Radhika opened up. “I had a sleepless night yesterday,” she said softly. “I kept thinking of you, of our old days. I suddenly realized how much I missed you. And maybe... maybe I was just too stubborn back then, too attached to the past. I thought I couldn’t move on from Anoop’s death. But now I see—nothing is permanent. Everything changes. And we must accept reality.” Rekha nodded, tears in her eyes. “You’re right, Radhika. Nothing is permanent in this world—neither pain, nor happiness. But friendship like ours... maybe that's the one thing that stays.”Above all we met our independence day today will have more bonding in our friendship. K.Ragavan 15-8-25