This story is based on the first prompt, "Start or end your story with two characters sitting down for a meal."

The Two Friends

Sathya Prakash and Durga Lal were wonderful friends from childhood. It’s very interesting to note how these two became friends. When they were studying in grade eight, both were fighters not with each other, but those who went against certain values they held on to. Abdul, who was a close friend of Durga Lal, could never reach close to Sathya in academic performance. Abdul had cultivated hatred towards Sathya, caused by jealousy because Abdul could never study well as Sathya did. To make things worse Durga was very close to Sathya. So he designed a plot in utter burning jealousy to harm Sathya through Durga and break their friendship too.

 Abdul was also very close to Durga, so he knew whatever he told Durga, he would believe. Abdul took advantage of this trust to harm Sathya breaching this trust Durga had placed in Abdul. Durga was a hot-tempered person, well-built body, but fought for truth and justice, though never had any control over his anger. He had a problem, a ‘squint eye,’ that made all misunderstand him. Once a girl gave him a good slap while traveling by a bus thinking he was winking at her with lust. Others gave him a nickname ‘The lover.’ And they used to humiliate Durga often and he used to feel terribly low at such moments. He could never tolerate those speaking lies or doing something untruthful.

 Sathya Prakash was also well-built like Durga, but Durga was stronger. Sathya was quiet, intelligent, a voracious reader and very pious. He always helped him when others hurt Durga by calling him the nickname but Abdul could not tolerate his piety. So, in order to take revenge on him, Abdul plotted a plan. He knew that Durga had a 100 rupee currency note in his bag. He waited for an opportunity to take that note with nobody’s notice and hid it in Sathya Prakash’s bag, and then went to meet Durga.

“Hi Durga, I have something very important to talk to you,” Abdul said.

“Yes buddy, what’s that?” “Durga asked.

“I never thought that ‘cobra heard’ Sathya was such a thief. Today, I saw him taking money from your bag. Did you bring a hundred rupee note today?” Abdul reported.             

Sathya had his right big toe in the appearance of a cobra head, and other children used to call him a nick name ‘cobra head.’ That used to make him furious and his left lips used to contort at such moments giving humorous facial expressions and others used to make it an entertainment. Sathya was frustrated with this scar in his life.

“Did Sathya do that? Did that holy boy do that? Come, let’s check where he has kept that money,” Durga said.

Abdul opened Sathya’s bag and took out the 100 rupee note he himself had kept there. Seeing this, Durga was blazing with anger, his eyes burning, and ears hot like two furnaces. Sathya was playing outside. Both Abdul and Durga ran to him and started fighting with Sathya and he had no idea what was happening. Abdul was shouting at Sathya, saying, “you cobra head, a thief.” Other children also joined in accusing Sathya as a thief. Terrible fight followed. Durga gave a punch to Sathya’s face and his teeth came out. The bleeding scared both Abdul and Durga. The Principal called both of them, and they gave urgent treatment to Sathya in a hospital. Sathya recovered from his injuries and came back to class. Meanwhile, Abdul had an accident, his leg was fully broken and was hospitalized for treatment. During the recovery period he started thinking about his accident as a punishment from Allah for doing such a wicked thing and hurting a pious and honest Sathya. He repented so much and cried a lot.

Then one day, when Durga had gone to meet him in the hospital Abdul revealed the truth and begged Durga for forgiveness for misleading him and causing that terrible fight in the school with Sathya Prakash. Durga understood what prompted Abdul to behave the way he did. Durga knew Abdul was very poor at studies and his father was an alcoholic and a fighter cock. There used to be no peace in his house when Abdul’s father came back home senseless with alcohol in the evenings. He used to hide from his father who used to be over drunk always. The words his father used to utter you could never find in any dictionary. Abdul could never study at home in such an atmosphere. So Durga empathized with Abdul and showed special concern for him. He realized Abdul breached his trust in Durga, and felt full of remorse and guilt over thrashing Sathya and humiliating him before all the students in the school. Guilt started torturing him for calling Sathya, ‘a thief.’

Durga controlled his emotions and cried over the harm he committed against Sathya an honest, and hardworking boy. His repentance started producing a feeling of love and compassion towards him. He met Sathya and talked things over.

“My heart was so much pained by what I did to you, Sathya, and for believing someone who spoke a lie to me against you. Please pardon me.” Durga said.

“Now I understand why you acted so. You were misled and you misunderstood me. Durga, from the depth of my heart, in the name of Jesus I forgive you.” Sathya said embracing Durga in reconciliation.

“Sathya, let’s be friends now on.” Durga requested.

Sathya was very understanding and accepted Durga’s invitation to be friends.

“I feel very happy that you did not show any hatred towards me, but you showed forgiveness and kindness towards me. I can’t believe how you could be such a lovely person towards me when I had hurt you very badly and accused you as a ‘thief’ before other students. I humiliated you. How could you forgive me? I thought you would hate me Sathya.” Durga said apologetically.

 “I was certain that I had done no wrong to you. I would tell you what happened to me that day morning at home. We have a habit of reading the Holy Bible every day morning at home. That day’s reading was about how the enemies accused Jesus falsely and how they tortured Him very cruelly after the arrest. But Jesus was innocent. He did only good to others, healed the sick and raised the dead to life, gave dignity to people who lost their dignity in their life, and the society rejected him. Whoever went to Jesus, He accepted them and never rejected. I loved Jesus so much. When you punched my face and my tooth fell down I was thinking that I was sharing little with Jesus’ sufferings. This memory of what I read in the morning gave me a strange strength to face that situation calmly.” Sathya said.

Hearing his words, Durga cried and silver drops trickled down from his eyes.

“Then, when I was sleeping in the hospital bed at night Jesus came to my room and kissed me. At that moment, my negative feelings I had towards you disappeared and I felt forgiveness in my heart and peace in my mind. That day onward, I was very happy and had no anger or dislikeness of you Durga.” Sathya expressed his state of relationship with Durga.

Durga’s face was brightened up knowing how great a person Sathya was, and hearing that Sathya had no negative feelings towards him.

“Yes, let’s be friends now on. By the way, who spoke to you such a lie and who kept that money in my bag?” Sathya inquired about it.

 “Sathya, I do not want to tell you about it because I do not like to break your relationship with him,” Durga said.

“But, I know, it was Abdulla and I have already forgiven him and have decided to be a friend to him.” Sathya said.

‘Sathya, in a symbolic expression of our rebuilding friendship will you come to my house for lunch with me?” Durga requested.

“Of course Durga, I’ll come.” Sathya affirmed his request.

While sitting for lunch with Sathya, and his mom served them both the meal Durga expressed his real feeling to Sathya.

“Sathya, once you had said when hearts separated sin would enter, and when hearts united love moves in, sin would go away, and peace and joy would reign over. I’m feeling now just that. This meal has sealed our reconciliation and friendship.”