Friends Indeed

 I entered my class, it was dark and quiet except for the rustling of the crisp autumn leaves outside the classroom. It was a 'make-up' exam and only two of us were appearing for it as we had missed the actual exam due to illness.

None of my friends would be around during this exam and I realized how much I missed the familiar faces. I had never crossed the gate alone; We were always hanging out together - laughing, teasing, shouting at one another, and making plans. French was always a big struggle for me and on top of this, I was all alone today. A chilly gust of wind entered the room and I shivered as I sat down on the cold desk.

I glanced nervously through my notes. It was the final exam and I was nervous. The other candidate walked in. 'Hey! don't look so worried,' she remarked. 'The exam won't be as difficult as you imagine.' She ruffled her hair and took her seat.

What is wrong with me? So what if I am alone this time? I have spent two hours here, three days a week, for the last one year!' I thought to myself. But what actually troubled me was that none of my friends had even bothered to wish me luck!

The Professor entered the class and asked me to pick up a topic for the oral exam and start preparing. I collected my belongings, picked a chit from a bowl, and settled in a chair at the cafe. I must mention that our french institute had an excellent classroom and a lovely cafe.

There was a lot of noise coming from the garden outside the cafe. I was trying to prepare a speech on the topic for my oral exam but couldn't concentrate because of the racket. 'Aditi go tell those people not to make noise said my professor, sensing my discomfort. With a sullen face, I went out intending to yell at the group.

As soon as I stepped out, I was dumbfounded. I blinked my eyes in disbelief. 'Surprisseee!!' they shouted in unison. My friends! They had it all planned. They were waiting there for me to finish my exam after which we would all go for a movie. My professor stood at the doorway of the cafe and smiled. She, too, was a part of the plan!

I was delighted and miraculously all my anxiety vanished. I sailed through the paper and obtained a staggering eightysix percent.

I had always known it, but that day I was convinced that my friends meant a lot to me. The feeling of emotional security that comes from having good friends, can help us tide over all troubles with ease!