The friend's hip

Aryan shook me from my shoulders and with a distinct concern in his voice, oppugned, ‘You got her back?’

I didn’t know whether my answer was going to be a yes or a no. Well, online rendezvous does not qualify as ‘getting-someone-back.’ And with the deadly villain like Tanya’s mom, getting her back was like liberating Sita from Ravana’s captive. Unsure of the answer, I chose the easiest path out. The word called ‘hmm’.

‘Hmm.’ I blurted.

It is funny how such an innately meaningless word could offer countless interpretations to the person it is directed at. Not that, it disorients the exact meaning, but it just offers plenty of other meanings at the same time. Now, it’s upon the person to decide which meaning he chooses. Aryan, as written on his face, was smart.

‘You mean you got her back.’ Aryan said, with a shine of excitement in his eyes.

‘Yeah!’ I exclaimed and I jumped to hug him. Well, that was just out of the blues. The hug was great – sharing joy is so gratifying, but at the same time, it was so damn awkward.

Let me tell you about ‘hugs’ in brief. Hugs – amongst men, is a subject worth discussing. There was a time when hug signified friendship, warmth and bonding. But, this was at the time when we were hanging around in our nappies. The nineties, you might say. As time progressed, and orientations digressed, men-hugging-men were seen in a new light – the light of awkwardness and in worst cases, obscenity. The gay rights movement brought freedom to this act of affection but at the same time, it made this act typically gay.