Aloha: it means Hello and Goodbye

Think August. Think properly and choose very carefully. This is a decision you will have to live with for an entire year. We do not want to look back at this moment and regret our actions. No, we are going to make the right choice this year.

"Have you decided yet?" Betty huffs out, banging her head slowly against the glass counter.

"It's not that big of a deal!" Inez groans.

Screw them. Don't let them distract you. Betty makes the same choice every year, and Inez does not care about her decision. 

"Oh my god! You are not adopting a child," Betty says, slamming both her hands on the counter. She needs to learn how to be more patient. "Just select a damn flavour for the drink and get over with it!"

If only it were that easy.

The Nectar (a cafe from another city) comes in town only once a year during the local spring festival. Their drinks are mind-blowing but also super expensive. I've enough money to buy only one if I also want to enjoy the rest of the carnival set up on the occasion of the spring festival.

"I've narrowed it down to two," I reply, "Cherry-blossom pink drink and Chocolate earth drink with mud cake."

"Okay, so just select one of them?" Inez questions, although she looks annoyed.

"I can't." 

"Buy both of them?"

"Can't afford it."

"Buy one and get the other one next year?"

"I don't know if I can wait that long."

"I give up!" Betty picks up her drink - berry blast with ice cream - and marches to an empty table.

"Okay, August, listen to me," Inez is using her I-will-pretend-I-understand-you-so-you-corporate-with-me trick on me. Unfortunately, it works most of the time. "I know you are stressed, and this is an important decision for you, but my sweet best friend, we cannot spend the entire evening standing at a stall for drinks. We also have to explore other stall and play games, right?" 

"Right", she is looking at me with such intensity as if it is a matter of life and death, and she expects me to make the right decision.

 "So, can you please hurry-up and select one." she places both her palms on my shoulder. "I know you don't want any regrets, but if we spend all our time standing here, you will regret the entire night."

Damn it! 

I look at the menu again, the pink drink has all my favourite fruits and ice-cream, but the cake is delicious. Although I ate a whole lot of chocolate yesterda- 

"Are you guys done?" Betty asks. She has already finished almost half of her drink.

"August was about to make a choice", Inez replies, her eyes never leaving me.

"I think-" I start, but.

"I found a way to help you with it", Betty cuts me off. She places her drink at the counter again, digs her hand in her pocket.  

"I had it-- wai-t, here it is! Ow!" she holds up a coin in her hand.

"Twisted my finger, anyway-"

"We can flip for it!" That is a pretty good way to decide it, I think. Let fate take control.

"Kind of, okay, heads for fruit and tails for earth." Betty says and launches the coin in the air.

The coin lands on heads. 

"Um.." I kind of wanted the chocolate.

"Okay, so we are getting fruit", she proceeds to order. 

"I want chocolate."

"But it landed on heads?"

Thank you very much for the clarification, Inez.

"I think chocolate" Now that I kinda have to take the pink drink, the chocolate looks way better.

"You knew all along!" Inez screeches.

"Yet you wasted so much time!" Betty half lies down on the glass counter. The worker clears his throat and asks us to move. 

"Yeah, sorry," I chuckle, "I'm ready to order."

After getting our drinks, we decided to take a look around. The sun has set, the sky is a lovely combination of lilac and blue. The fairy lights and small white lamps all around give a euphoric look to the set. 

For as long as I can recall, the carnival looks the same every year. It's set up in this huge park behind the church. The stalls are also almost identical, food, games, magic tricks, some set up by over-enthusiastic parents, some students raising money, local-vendors, and so many more.

It's a tradition for our town to welcome spring, the season of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. It was started by some old couple who started handing out flowers from their garden and drinks to welcome spring, and soon enough, more and more people joined them. Before anyone realised it turned into a full-blown carnival and a tradition for the entire town. It must be pretty cool to create something as big as that which outlives you. I wish someday I can make something that lasts forever.

"The stalls look better than last year, better lighting and are bigger too," Inez says, breaking my trail of thoughts "remember last year when James and the football team accidentally destroyed two-three stalls."

"That was hilarious", Betty snorts while laughing. 

"They had to do weeks of communitive service in scorching heat" I

hate the idea of working in the summer.

"You just don't like summers",, Betty replies, throwing the empty plastic cup in the trash can. "I still don't understand how you like winters."

"Okay, if I go down to the basics, when I feel cold, I can wear more clothes or wrap myself up in blankets. What the hell am I supposed to do when I feel hot? Peel my skin off!" I argue.

"You guys have had the same argument more times than I care to count", Inez interprets us. She really is the brains of this group.

"What do you want to do now? Games or food?"

"Food" I want to eat my cake peacefully and not in fear that it is going to fall any second.

"Agreed" 

"Oh, this stall looks good." 

"Okay, we'll play a game," Betty decides apparently ", Each all of us will select an item from the menu, and all of us have to eat it."

Inez and I exchange looks. She is going to pick the weirdest item from the menu and make us eat.

"Okay...curly fries",, Inez chooses, not a bad choice.

"Potato on a stick", I decide. It's a tradition for us to eat one every year like drinks at Nectar.

"You guys are boring," betty says, eyes never leaving the menu board. "How about you fo find a table, and I'll get the food."

"Sure", we both know there is no point arguing.

We walk up further ahead because there was nowhere to sit in the near vicinity.

"Are your parents freaking out?" Inez asks, eyes wandering around.

"Like you won't believe," it's crowded here. "Mum still does not want me to leave the state for college."

"Same, oh, there is a table there," she says, pointing towards an empty table. "No, those people are going to take it",, she breaks into a sprint. 

I run after her, and we reach the table just in time. The other group looks somewhat offended with us but moves away, grumbling.

"That was close",, I laugh. "God, I'm going to miss this."

"Hey!" she snaps. "We are going to meet every year for the spring festival. I don't care on which corner of the earth you are at."

"Earth doesn't have corners", I tease and take a bite of the cake; it's so good.

"Oh, shut up!" when did he finish her drink?

"But ya, we are going to meet each year for the spring festival and then in summer and help Betty complete some of our work cause everyone knows she isn't gonna do it-"

"And then go for swims in the lake and mid-night or go for a trip to Mcdonalds in our prom dresses again!" 

We both burst into laughter so hard that I'm wheezing, but the time we stop.

"Gosh! What am I going to do there without you guys?" I sigh.

"Probably work a little more and be a little less crazy", Inez chuckles out.

"Isn't it crazy how a single festival can mean so much to so many people though" I'm thinking out loud now?

"Ya, most of these people here had an awful year, and yet here they are having fun." 

"Maybe that old couple was onto something."

"You think?" it's a sarcastic remark.

"We surf through topics and emotions way too fast." 

"Oh, Socrates!" Betty calls out, carrying a huge tray, "Your food is here."

She sets the tray down, which has.... doughnut burgers? Along with pretty good looking fries and twirled potatoes on a stick.

"That's not as bad as I was expecting. What is that?" I question

"That's Deep-fried Donut Bacon Cheeseburgers," she says, a mouthful of fries.

"That actually looks good," Inez says and picks one up. "It will probably give you a heart attack, though." 

"Oh, Shut up, health freak," Betty says, taking a bite "it's pretty good," she says, spitting few chunks out.

"Ew, gross" Inez picks up her potato on a stick.

"We are going to play some games, and I'm going to win a giant teddy-bear this year", I declare.

'Seriously, you should try this," Betty says, licking her figures " Also, I'm later going to meet James and defeat him in a round of most-hoops."

"He should just give up already" There is no way James or anyone can defeat Betty in basketball. She literally got a scholarship for it.

"I know, right?" she scoffs. "Anyway, I've decided something, this night is going to be the best carnival night, yet that means no going home early, no not doing things because of budget, and most importantly, having FUN!"

"We can't do anything about the budget you know." Inez points out.

"Kinda raining on my parade here," Betty retorts.

"We are going to have fun!" I scream.

"YASSS!" Inez and Betty both shout back.

All the people from the surrounding booth turn towards us, and we all break into a fit of giggles. It is one of those bitter-sweet future nostalgic moments that make you think about like a lot and also makes you wanna cry.

I don't know if I'm going to do something as great that will outlive me or if I'm going to survive without my best friends, but I think life is also like a cycle of seasons. Every season depicts and symbolises a certain stage of life in almost every aspect for everyone.

There is something about the certainty of nature, the endless chains of seasons, the constant rotation and revolution of the earth that helps us handle, balance and recalibrate the total uncertainty and unpredictability of life.  

Over the years, humankind has established traditions and heritage in the forms of folklore, lore, festivals and cultures, which has helped them stay in touch with nature, ancestral familial and the joys of human life.

I'm glad that I am fortunate enough to experience them and know their worth, and I hope I never forget it.