"Chanakya, wake up! You said you had an important task to attend to today! Wake up!" my mother called out.
I had set the alarm, but it had failed to rouse me. I continued sleeping until my next alarm, which was accompanied by my mother's insistence. Groggily, I awoke and sat up in bed.
"You said you had to leave early today. It is already 6:30 AM. When are you planning to leave?" she asked.
"I will be leaving at 8:00 AM. My friends will come to pick me up," I replied.
"And this is what you consider important?" she inquired, sounding slightly exasperated.
"Yes, Mom. Tomorrow, I will be meeting my childhood friend after many years," I explained.
"Then get ready quickly. I will prepare breakfast," she said.
I quickly rose from bed and made sure my room was tidy. After brushing my teeth, I packed a suitcase with the essentials for my week-long trip. It was already 7:20 AM. I hurriedly completed my bath and dressed in a pair of khaki nylon pants and a casual cotton T-shirt. I also put on my black hoodie. By the time I finished, it was 7:40 AM. I had my breakfast in a rush, nearly choking a couple of times.
"Can you eat more slowly?" my mother remarked. "Don't worry, I'll make sure your friends don't leave without you."
Relieved, I put on my new Nike Air shoes just as I heard the car horn outside. I grabbed my suitcase, bid farewell to my parents, and hurried out the door. I placed my suitcase in the back seat and sat in the front seat of the car.
"Hello, bro!" Samesh greeted me as I got into the car.
"Hello!" I replied, returning the greeting.
From the back seat, Charles spoke up. "Did you pack all your clothes and shoes? Your suitcase looks quite full."
"Nah, I just brought seven T-shirts and five pairs of pants, along with three pairs of Nike shoes," I answered.
"You're a rich kid, bro. You'll have everything you need," Naksh teased.
"By the way, what time is our flight?" Charles asked.
"Our flight is at 10:00 AM. It will take about an hour to get to the airport. Then we'll spend another 45 minutes talking, buying drinks, and exploring the park nearby," I replied.
"Great idea!" exclaimed Naksh.
The drive to the airport took about an hour. I was curious about how much money everyone had brought for the trip, so I asked, "How much money did each of you bring?"
"I brought 80 thousand," Naksh said.
"Same here," Charles added.
"I brought one lakh," Samesh said. "And you?"
"I'll be taking care of all of your expenses," I responded confidently. "I have five lakhs with me."
"Damn, buddy!" everyone exclaimed in unison.
By 9:05 AM, we arrived at the airport. We got out of the car and surrounded Naksh.
"You said we would reach exactly at 9:00 AM. It's 9:05 now. You were wrong!" we teased.
"Seriously, guys?" Naksh responded, laughing.
"Yes, don't let it happen again," I said playfully.
"Okay, okay, got it," Naksh replied.
We proceeded to sit on the benches in the airport, waiting for the time to pass.
"Let's check out the park nearby," Naksh suggested.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Let's go, guys," Charles said.
We made our way to the park beside the airport. It was beautifully landscaped, with birds chirping from the trees. Children were playing everywhere—on swings, seesaws, and slides, all while enjoying the melody of the birds' songs.
We four friends found a bench and sat down next to an older man, probably in his mid-40s, who was reading the morning newspaper. We started discussing our plans for meeting our friend.
"We're almost late," I glanced at my watch and said with urgency.
"Let's hurry," Naksh suggested.
We ran back to the airport, grabbed our luggage, they checked the luggage and approved and made our way to the plane. We found our seats. Samesh and I were lucky enough to get window seats.
The plane began its ascent. We were all excited, and as the aircraft soared into the sky, I looked out the window, spotting birds flying alongside us. I could see Andean condors, common cranes, and pigeons.
"Hey, I just spoke to them," I joked, but Naksh, sitting beside me, chuckled.
"They can't understand you," he replied.
Suddenly, a soft voice came from two seats behind us.
"Absolutely right," the voice said.
We all turned around and realized it was the same man from the park. He smiled at us.
"Hello, nice to meet you!" Samesh greeted him.
"Nice to meet you too. And who are you? What are your names?" the old man asked.
"Wait a moment," I said suddenly. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
"In the park," the man responded.
"No, no. It was somewhere else," I said, puzzled, but couldn't recall where.
"Never mind," I added, introducing myself. "I'm Chanakya."
"I'm Charles," Charles said.
"I'm Naksh," Naksh introduced himself.
"And I'm Samesh," Samesh added.
The old man smiled and introduced himself. "I'm John."
We continued our conversation with John as the flight progressed, and before we knew it, we had arrived at our destination.
After disembarking from the plane, we made our way to Chhatarpur Airport. It was an immaculate and well-maintained facility, with neatly arranged benches and plants at the entrance.
The staff at the airport was friendly and accommodating, and as we proceeded through security, one of the workers shared some interesting information with us
"This airport was established around 85 years ago," Ramesh, one of the airport employees, informed us. "It's still this clean thanks to Raju, the airport manager, who maintains it meticulously."
"Impressive!" I remarked, thoroughly impressed by the cleanliness and upkeep of the airport.