I made sandwiches, samosas, corndogs and salad for the picnic basket. I met her at her place and we left together for the picnic. It was a 30 minutes' drive to the location. I was smitten by the place; it looked so beautiful and peaceful. I felt the cool breeze brush against my skin and through my hair. I felt light like a weight was taken of my shoulder as I stepped into this paradise. The grass was so green, the water was clear and pure, the rhythmic sound of flowing water was soothing, beautiful blooming flowers filled the air with wonderful scents. This view is completely amazing. This is definitely what I need; my soul felt at ease.
"Do you like it" Francesca's voice brought me back to reality.
"I love it Francie… this place is amazing. How did you find this place?"
"I asked around the campus and it got a lot of recommendation. It's a lovely view isn't it? This was my exact reaction when I first saw it"
"it really is. I'm glad we came on this picnic….thanks babe"
"you are welcome but I have a rule…. No phones on during the picnic"
"yes ma'am but that will be after a few pictures" "okay, sure"
We took some photos, played some board games, a few group games with other people at the location before retiring to our space for some food.
"This is really delicious girl. You never fail to wow me with your cooking" she said with so much glee
"thanks darling" I replied. We ate quietly for a while, and then Francie broke the silence suddenly.
"I am my families 3rd child and only daughter, my dad's a professor and my mum a nurse. My home is filled with extremely intelligent people and by that virtue the intelligence quota in my family was raised so high that it is almost impossible to be attained. My IQ is average, its nothing close to that of any of my siblings which automatically makes me the least intelligent in the house or rather the family's dullard. My parents refused to accept it as their reality; there was no way they would have an unintelligent daughter. So they engaged me in a series of home tutoring sessions for every school year and I was scolded every term for coming short of their expectations; not that I had failed but I wasn't top of the class. The pressure from home has always been too much for me, never ending but I had taken my time to conduct some soul searching and self discovery and discovered that this is who I am and I am making the most of my God given knowledge and gift and even if my parents were not satisfied I am satisfied and wasn't going to let any one make me feel bad or less than what I'm worth not even my parents. That's how I uncovered this personality I have, it is more like a defence mechanism or protective measure to shield myself from external factors especially the negative ones and live life fully and happily.
When I saw you for the first time, for some reason I was drawn to you. I really desired to become friends with you because I felt you would affect my life in some great way; academically or otherwise but something was definitely going to be worth it. I knew it was going to be of greater value than whatever another superficial friendship would offer me. That is why I persevered even when you pushed me away continually and I have never regretted it."
"Francie why are you talking like this all of a sudden, you don't have to say all of this to me. It must have been a difficult decision to make, to share this with me".
"This is what friendship is all about, we trust and confined in each other. We find peace and security that we can't find anywhere else in each other. Besides you have told me a lot about yourself especially that which you hold closest to you and yet you know nothing about me. Knowing you and the fact that you would never ask I decided to do it this way. I owe you this in the least."
"It must have been really difficult for you to live like that. Trying to measure up to expectations and overworking yourself." I managed to say
"Well yes, especially when you starting to think sometimes that you not loved or appreciated as much as the other kids in the household but when you find a way to live through it without much thought or bother, it becomes easier."
"You know when you told me about your health status, thinking of how long you've lived with it and how you manage to live like there's no trace of it and concentrate on making something of your life without letting it draw you back.... It strengthened me and my resolve. I found out that some problems maybe worse than what you are facing in life and only if you let it weigh you down then it will."
I didn't know what to say or how to feel. I knew she wasn't pitying me at the moment and she was going through a lot at the moment even though she is trying to hide her emotions as usual. I immediately drew her into a warm embrace as that was the only thing that came to mind, I felt that was what she needed more than what ever I could or would say.