Obituary

Yesterday, I lost a very dear friend of mine. He & I had known each other for over 4 years . For the past 4 years, he had been my constant companion. No matter where I was, or what I did, he always stayed by my side. No matter how busy or idle, happy or sad, pleased or frustrated I was, he was always there; comforting, reassuring & supportive.

For 4 years, we spent endless hours with each other, day and night. His presence never let me feel lonely. He silently stayed by side through all good times and bad and patiently bore with all my mood swings. One time I remember I spilled an entire bowl of hot cereal & milk on him. It was a mistake but it must have hurt like hell. And yet, he didn't say a word. I wondered what had I ever done to deserve such loyalty; and thanked my stars for getting it nevertheless.

But for the past few months, he hadn't been keeping too well. He was always running a high temperature and was always very low on energy. It was as if he needed to be on a glucose drip constantly to do even the basic activities of his existence. All his test reports were absolutely normal; and no one could figure out what was wrong with him. Though on the surface he managed to look well, I could see he was dying inside. Slowly but surely. He still insisted on being with me constantly and somehow I didn't fight him back. May be I should have.

And then, yesterday afternoon while I was work, he just suddenly left me. Just like that. Without a notice. Without giving me a chance to say goodbye. Me & my colleagues tried our best to revive him, but to no avail. I rushed him to a specialist, but it was too late. He was declared DOA.

I brought him back home with me. Protecting his non responsive body from the rain while I myself got drenched. It had been a 4 year long relationship, and I wasn't ready to let go. Not just yet.

And so there I was.

Sitting in my room, feeling completely alone for the first time in over 4 years. Helpless. Isolated. Disconnected from the world. I sat there for the rest of the evening staring into his face. Expecting him to blink his eyes any minute. My mind was completely blank. I couldn't think at all.

After a few hours of complete silence, holding the still perfectly functioning mouse & power cord in my hands, I said good bye to my dear old friend.

My HP Compaq nx6325.