Church Street, Blue Twinning & a Decade of Us

Ankita and I have been friends for close to a decade now, though technically, we were colleagues for even longer. We worked at the same organization, but I left within a year of her joining, so our interaction back then was minimal. Even after I exited, Ankita stayed in touch. However, our friendship truly blossomed during COVID—one phone call that changed everything.

I was deeply touched by Ankita’s selfless care in such a self-centred world. I remember thinking, wow, I never knew Ankita was this kind of person.

Ironically, after we became BFFs, we could barely meet. We were constantly hopping cities because of our jobs—until she eventually settled in Mumbai and I returned to Bengaluru. We always wanted to meet, but we never had the luxury of landing in each other’s cities just for a catch-up. Still, we stayed closely connected. Ankita holds a special place in my life, a privilege known only to the two of us. She’s also my partner in crime for certain mischiefs.

One Friday afternoon, she called and casually asked about my Saturday plans. I said there was nothing too important. That’s when she dropped the bomb—she would be in Bengaluru on Saturday, just for a day, and wanted to meet me. I couldn’t believe it. My thoughts were interrupted by her voice asking, “Are you there?” I said yes, and she added that she’d confirm the time and location on Saturday since her schedule was jam-packed.

The moment the call ended, I cancelled all my Saturday engagements and kept the entire day free. After she checked into her hotel, Ankita called to say we’d meet post lunch. I asked her to inform me well in advance, as it would take me over an hour to reach—she was staying in the heart of the city, and I was at the other end. In the meantime, I wrapped up all my household chores.

By 4:30 pm, she called again and suggested meeting at MG Road by 6. I agreed, got ready by 5, and booked a cab immediately. I expected traffic delays, but luck was on my side—I reached MG Road right on time. I called Ankita to check if she’d arrived; she said she’d need another 15 minutes. So I wandered around Church Street, taking a trip down memory lane. The place was still buzzing with life.

About 20 minutes later, Ankita arrived. Finally, we met—and I can’t describe how happy we were. She was accompanied by her husband and kid, who had plans of their own. We stepped into Starbucks to escape the chaos outside and spent time chatting. We had so much to catch up on.

We were so engrossed in conversation that we didn’t realize it was already 8 pm. Ankita’s husband called to check if she needed more time, as he too was running late with work. He was also concerned about whether I’d be comfortable staying longer, given my long commute back home. Without even asking me, Ankita said, “He has no issues—take your time.” That’s friendship, when you know the other person so well. We burst into laughter.

By 9:30 pm, her husband had finished his work and joined us at Starbucks. We were still talking, but it was time for them to leave since they were traveling the next day. Then came the photo session—because, surprisingly, we had no pictures of us together.

As we stepped out of the café, we noticed something amusing—we were twinning in blue. Completely unplanned. The perfect icing on the cake. Ankita then reminded me that this had happened once before, back when we were colleagues.   

Soon, it was time to say goodbye. Even though we didn’t get much time together, we enjoyed every moment. After she left for her destination, I booked a cab back home, still trying to

Initially, Ankita had wanted to surprise me by calling out of the blue after reaching Bengaluru. I’m glad she didn’t—because I had an important meeting that day, which I later pushed to Monday. Somewhere, destiny was kind to us.

Sometimes, surprises really are more beautiful than plans.