Small Story 768.

 Small Story 768

 The Memory King

Basavaraj arrived at Bengaluru City Railway Station to receive his old colleague and close friend, Nagaraj, who was coming from Davanagere. Both had worked together at Bangalore Cooperative Bank for thirty years before retiring and settling in different places. Nagaraj’s son had settled in the United Kingdom, while Basavaraj’s daughter was living in Dubai.

As soon as Nagaraj spotted Basavaraj at the station, he walked towards him with a broad smile. The two old friends embraced warmly, delighted to meet again after seven long years. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they collected Nagaraj’s luggage and walked towards the car park.

Once they were seated in the car and on their way, Basavaraj turned to his friend and asked curiously, “Nagaraj, what is the main purpose of your visit? In your message, you simply asked me to come to the railway station to receive you. You didn’t mention anything else.”

Nagaraj smiled mischievously. “Yes, my friend! I wanted to surprise you. My nephew is joining OO1 Academy in Mysore as an investigation officer tomorrow. My sister lives in J.P. Nagar, Bengaluru, since my brother-in-law retired and settled there after completing his service in Hassan.”

“Oh, J.P. Nagar! That’s wonderful! I live there too,” Basavaraj exclaimed.

Nagaraj was pleasantly surprised. He leaned towards his friend and whispered, “I don’t know exactly where my sister lives. After meeting you, I was planning to call her and surprise her by telling her that I had arrived in Bengaluru.”

By then, Basavaraj had reached his apartment, a well-maintained residential complex equipped with modern facilities. He and his wife, Lakshmi, had settled there after his retirement.

Lakshmi welcomed Nagaraj warmly and invited him to have lunch. She had prepared a delicious meal followed by some special sweets. To Nagaraj’s surprise, the sweets were made without milk or milk-based ingredients.

After lunch, Nagaraj thanked Lakshmi for taking the trouble to prepare sweets that suited his preference.

Lakshmi smiled and replied, “My husband told me that you don’t like sweets containing milk. So, I prepared Mysore pak especially for you.”

Nagaraj turned towards Basavaraj with astonishment.

“Hey, Basavaraj! How on earth did you remember that? It has been more than seven years since we last discussed our food preferences!”

Basavaraj smiled and whispered, “My friend, I remember it from our farewell day at the bank. I had noticed your preference even then.”

Nagaraj shook his head in admiration.

“Unbelievable! Even after all these years, you still remember such a small detail about me. Hats off to you, my dear friend! You truly deserve to be called the *Memory King*.”

Lakshmi, who had been listening to their conversation, joined in with a smile.

“In our family, he is already famous by that name. Whenever we discuss something that happened years ago, he remembers even the smallest details. We always call him our Memory King!”

Nagaraj laughed and nodded in agreement.

“You are absolutely right sister Lakshmi. Remembering old events, conversations and even the little preferences of friends is a rare gift. Many people forget such things as time passes, but our dear Basavaraj remembers them as though they happened yesterday.

“I am fortunate to have a friend like him. Our friendship has lasted for decades, and today he has proved once again that true friendship is not just about being together; it is also about remembering the little things that make each person special.”

Basavaraj smiled modestly, happy that his old friend was pleased. For him, remembering such details was not a special achievement but simply a natural expression of his affection and care for the people he valued.

That afternoon, as the two old colleagues continued sharing memories of their thirty years at the bank, their laughter filled the room. The years of separation seemed to disappear, and their friendship felt as fresh as ever.

K.Ragavan

19-10-26