Small Story 191.

Small Story 191. "Friendship Beyond Boundaries" Davidson had travelled all the way from Sydney to Bengaluru to attend his good friend Vivek's son's reception. He had worked with Vivek for many years at Qantas Airlines, both retiring two years ago. Vivek had lived in Sydney for 25 years before settling in Bengaluru, where his son worked in the Intelligence Bureau, and his daughter-in-law was from Chennai. Upon arriving at Vivek's house in Jayanagar, Davidson was warmly greeted by his friend and his wife, Shobhana, who invited him to enjoy some sweets and snacks. Though Davidson was from a different world, he had adopted many of Vivek’s good manners and food habits over the years. Vivek’s son, Rohit, introduced his wife, Vasanthy, to Davidson, saying, “This is Mr. Davidson, my dad’s colleague and close friend.” Vasanthy wished him warmly, and Davidson blessed the couple with a pocket full of compliments. After a delightful dinner, where family and friends gathered to celebrate, Vivek thanked everyone for attending. His large house accommodated 100 guests, and the chef prepared a feast of traditional Indian dishes. Vasanthy, a talented singer, was asked to sing some old Tamil and Kannada songs. Initially shy, she eventually performed for 30 minutes, enchanting the crowd with her beautiful voice. Davidson enjoyed listening to the Tamil songs that Vivek often hummed at the office, especially those of the late legendary singer P.B. Srinivas. After the evening, Davidson went to his hotel, arranged by Vivek, feeling content. The following day, as Davidson and Vivek were having breakfast at the famous MTR restaurant, a man approached him. "Hey, how are you? Do you remember me? Last time when I came to your Sydney office to prepone my journey, you helped me. I'm Prabhu." Davidson was surprised. "Yes, I remember. You wanted to change your flight to Bengaluru. My friend Vivek from Bengaluru helped arrange everything. I’m here today because of him." Prabhu turned to Vivek and greeted him warmly. "Vivek, it's great to see you again." Vivek smiled and nodded, saying, “Friendship, no matter the origin, is strengthened by mutual understanding and traditional values. Davidson is one of the best examples of that." Davidson was deeply moved by his friend's words, and Prabhu shared the same sentiment. The next day, as Davidson left Bengaluru with a full heart, he felt grateful to have attended such a wonderful event, cherishing the true value of friendship across boundaries. K.Ragavan 21-3-25