With a little help from my friend

I don’t know how many of you take notice of the ‘friends you may know’ section on Face book. It’s a very neat way to send out requests to people from school or college to whom you've not spoken to since. And it’s through that feature that I've actually gotten in touch with a lot of kids I used to hang out with in school. It recently threw an update of this very good looking girl….and by good looking, let’s put it this way… if Keri Russell had an ‘Indian’ tan, this girl would be her. Believe me, I would have remembered a friend who looked like that. I thought it might be some acquaintance who after going to the US decided to get this major make-over and look like….excuse the ‘guy’ness ….a total 'Elisha Cuthbert' girl-next-door bomb!!!

Turns out, we have only one mutual friend, and even he’s more of an acquaintance. But the girl, OMG, for a few minutes there, I fell in love. The 18 year old in me was going, “Arey….friend request bhej… I want to make fraaandship with you!”. I was sighing and going all dreamy eyed over her. (Yes….guys do that too). My eyes glance to the lower part of the screen….and that’s when my heart broke into a thousand pieces, like glass being shattered by Bianca Castafiore. I see the most horrendous thing….. The girl is an Arsenal fan.

Just then, my friend from college pings to ask what was going on. Boys will be boys, I had to share this ‘Birthday gift’ Face book had given. I shared with him as to how I felt so betrayed. But then, considering my friend himself, for some unexplainable reason, supports Arsenal…..if we could get along, maybe I and this girl could too. This is where one cannot highlight enough the importance of friends. He points out the other interests which….to cut a long story short…included Justin Bieber (Nooooooooo), Lady Gaga (Oh Nooooooooooooooooooooo), Ke$ha( Honestly why??????), the Twilight series (Oh crap…another girl who believes she should marry a gay vampire called Edward because she is so much like Bella….yes, in case you’re wondering how I know this, I sat through the first movie when it came out), The Vampire Diaries TV series (no surprises there) and Splitsvilla....and that's just me naming a few.

Needless to say, yours truly was cured very quickly of almost a week of sighing over her picture in my head while pleasantly smiling, and actually being nice to everyone. Imagine that, I’ll be in a good mood at the office. People will think I am ill. The last time such a thing happened in December, I found myself listening to Bollywood love songs for a week, it was THAT bad. And that’s why one needs friends. Friends who will be cold-hearted enough to pull out that pin to burst your bubble. Friends who would rather see you for your real miserable grouchy self than to see that fake happiness which we know is only temporary.

PS: The irony of it all, the only thing the girl and I had in common was we both liked F.R.I.E.N.D.S

PPS: I think a small part of me died tonight.