THE INSIDE OF GUITAR

MOST AWAITED YET MOST DREADED

Nithya seemed restless when I took the call.

"Hey!"

"What took you so long??" She asked. No she growled.

"Was giving Chissi a brush...why? what's wrong?" I asked sensing the urgency in her tone.

"Akrithi...Come over as fast as you can... won't you?".

"Yeah sure... but what's the hurry?" I tried to ask.

"I can't... I mean we can't talk about it on phone! Akrithi please make haste!"

"Okay..." she had hung up.

Questions popped in my head. What could be so urgent? I was with her last evening. What could have happened? Could it be about her new drawing? Or was it about her new guitar she said she was going to buy? Or was Vini (Nithya's pup a Labrador also one month old) hurt??

'Well if it can't be discussed on phone... I better hurry!' I thought to myself after a dozen unanswered questions started bothering me.

I took a hasty bath while Chisel faithfully waited outside the bathroom door inquiring if I was done every now and then. Breakfast wouldn't interest me.

"Maa I can't eat!! I Need to know what it is!"

"I was wondering what was keeping you from food!" mom chuckled.

"Maa! You done Chissi?"

Chisel looked up from her bowl questioningly.

"It's okay if you are not done... more after we get back!" I picked up Chisel and went to the door.

"Akrithi? You can't skip breakfast!" mom was yelling by the time I was out of the gate.

I walked to Nithya's place which was three blocks away.

Nithya and I were more and even more than just best friends. We thought ourselves to be twins separated at birth. Though it sounded totally impossible because of our distinct features. Nithya had short, straight black hair which had a tint of brown while mine was long, curly and pitch black. She had bigger eyes and a sharp nose. She also had sharp cheek and jaw bones. I on the other hand had a little hooked nose and well defined cheek and jaw bones. I was half an inch shorter than her and we had the same skin tone.

My thoughts came to a halt after I was in front of the familiar gate. I went in to find Vini crouching to attack a dragon fly that had landed on a rose shrub. She came running to us on seeing Chisel and so the fly got lucky. I left Chisel with Vini and went into the house.

Nithya's mom was in the kitchen, she looked up and smiled at me. Her dad was on phone. I went into Nithya's room. There she was seated on her desk lost in thoughts.

"Nithya?" I called her. She turned around.

"There you are!!"

"Yeah here I am! What is it?"

"I got admission into a medical university..."

"What? Wow... congrats Nithya!"

"In China" she completed.