Remembrance

Yesterday I was going through my contact list. I wanted to get rid of the contacts whicj I no longer need. I stumbled upon a contact that made me stop and think. The name was "Sonali D".

Sonali was my colleague. I still remember the day I met her. I came to the office and sat at my desk. I saw a new face. I thought she was a new joiner. I introduced myself and enquired about her qualification, profile, and project. She introduced herself as Sonali. She appeared friendly and we instantly became good friends.

I introduced Sonali to my friend group and they wholeheartedly accepted her. Since then Sonali became an insuperable part off our group. Sonali who was from Pune had been living alone in Mumbai. She did not have any friends in Mumbai and hence she appreciated being welcomed in our group.

Sonali was a fantastic cook. Each day she would ask us what we wanted for breakfast the next day. Whatever we would say, she would make it and bring it for us. She loved to surprise us with her tasty treats. Sonali would do this with care an happiness, she did not have any intentions to show off her skills.

Once she told me in confidence that she had a rough teenage years. Her younger brother was friends with bad people, he got arrested by cybercrime department when he was still a minor. He would have difficulty in doing the safe things. He would cause troubles. She had been trying to get help for him. But when she realised that he cannot be helped, she wanted an escape. Coming to Mumbai was a part of this escape. When she told me this story, I felt really sad for her. A sister struggling for her brother was heartbreaking. Apparently her parents had lost the hope that their son would choose a safe path. But Sonali did not stop trying until she could not continue.

A few months later, Sonali got a better job in her hometown Pune. I was happy to see her progress in life. She moved to Pune but we stayed in touch. We would speak often. We would text each other and share important updates. This continued for several years.

It was April 2021, when I had spoke to her the very time. Just like me she too was tired of the pandemic restrictions. We spoke for about 15-20 minutes before both of us got busy with work.

It was May 2021. A friend texted me, "I have to tell you something. It is a sad news". I immediately knew someone in our contact had died, that is what was going on in summer of 2021.

"Who is it?" I texted back with shaking hands and rapidly beating heart.

"Sonali. Died 2 days ago due to COVID-19", my friend wrote.

My heart dropped after reading that text. I remembered our last conversation a few days ago. It was hard for me to cope up with this loss. She had become as close as a sister and now she was no more. I cried that evening.

Yesterday when I saw her name in my contact, all memories of her returned bringing tears to my eyes. Even 5 years after her death, I still missed her. With tearful eyes and shaking hand I clicked on her phone number and then clicked on "Delete".