Sharmili was a very introvert, shy person; and her name went with her personality. Had lived her life in almost isolation; few friends; but friends which she could bank on as life savers; school friends with strong bonds. As it was not possible to live without interacting at all; with people around her; with whom she was going to share 12+ years of her life; school life. However, with age and progression comes a time when you leave your comfort zone and end up at new shores. The college.
Everyone; has to restart their life in a way in college; then job; have to find new friends; one can't just live out days only studying. Have to interact. Sharmili; had less time now; only 4 years till end of graduation. First year; she learned names of her classmates; only to know students were to be assigned new classes at start of 2nd year; which was spent in knowing names of the new student again.
The resets of life, the new shores new beginnings are quite guaranteed in the adult world, a job shift, a shift of location for job, even countries and beyond seven seas to different continents are all on the cards of faith or choices we make. And here is Sharmili still making friends or rather even acquaintances the first task of each year of existence! It becomes difficult if your bar is set lower than the world default; but it's what it is.
And then comes the third year of college; she makes fast progress and makes bunch of friends. Goes on various trips and learns a lot about all of them; their birthdays; she becomes first to wish, wish all the best for small meaningless tests that others don't even know about. Set reminders for many to not miss landmarks. Sometimes her friends feel like they never ever mentioned the stuff she remembers; but she knows.
Only to be hurt; hurt deep enough to reset herself to forget all of it and go into a shell. To live it off solo! For she requested one thing for her friends to remember and believe her. For all her life none had, and it was a special day, but because it happened to be on same day as a day celebrated as fool's day; none believed her for it to be her true birthday. People just brushed it off as an elaborate prank; but this time she believed others would remember it and celebrate it with her.
It was not as if she had taken others for granted; and still drop explicitly that its her birthday tomorrow. The 1st of April, and still her friends and just people to-be henceforth, did no celebrations and even ridiculed her for even suggesting as such. The trust was lost, and so were friends; saddened she reclused herself never to mix again.
Its not like others did not try to make it up to her later that day or next day; but time had already come to pass; water under the bridge had flowed away.
Sometimes, small things in one's lives; may hold a lot more significance in others' lives. A slice of bread may not seem much to the Russian Queen who had cake each day during the famine, but held enough significance in the minds of commoners that they killed her and Czar and his family and her Monk Rasputin during rebellion. The analogy may seem extreme, but for Sharmili it may have been the last straw.
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