The Letter and the Envelope

It was the year 2014, when I had just joined Sainik School. I was naive, chronically homesick, and resented the whole world. But through those tough times, my friend Sandeep was a ray of hope. He didn't become my friend deliberately; it just happened. We happened to be in the right place at the right time.

I was so homesick that I wept every night like a baby. But Sandeep wasn't like that. He was a pretty chill guy. He was funny, smart, and, most of all, very mature. I had never seen him shed a tear. I am talking about a time when we were just 11 years old. My home was 300 km from the school, and his home was 1,000 km away. I never understood the concept of homesickness in my school, as I was baffled by the equation of it. There's a guy who was more homesick than me, and that guy's home was just 10 km away. (The irony is pretty amazing, right?)

I think you got the gist about Sandeep. Now let's come to the story.

One fine day, I was hanging out with a friend. Who am I kidding? I was hanging out with the only friend I had made. I realized I had lost my maroon belt which was recently issued , it formed an integral part of the "mufti" uniform. In order to get a new one issued, I approached our esteemed Senior Master. He teaches science, his mouth smells like a flower(only that flower was Rafflesia), also he had a giant goatee that made him look very distinctive. Regarding the issue of belt, he advised me to write a letter to get a new one issued.

Unlike many Gen Z kids now, I did know how to write a proper letter without help from ChatGPT. Anyways, I finished writing the letter with neat handwriting, proper salutation, and a perfect crease on the left side. Confidently, I got up, and as I was about to go and submit the letter, I heard a voice from behind...

"ఏంటి, అలానే ఇచ్చేస్తావా?" ("Are you going to submit it just like that?")

I turned to notice it was Sandeep. Then he subtly walked up to me and said, "You'd make a fool out of yourself. You need to have an envelope for the letter."

As soon as I heard him say that, I was really taken aback. At that point, I felt compelled to listen to Sandeep, as he was far more mature than me, so I trusted him. I thought he had saved me from the great embarrassment I would have faced. But I didn't know where to get an envelope. Again, my saviour came to my rescue. He quickly cut some A4 paper and meticulously glued the pieces together to make an envelope. At that point, I realized Sandeep wasn't just funny and mature, but also insanely creative. (WHAT A GUY ! I thought)

After Sandeep's act of creating a marvelous envelope, I carefully folded the letter and slowly placed it inside. I took the letter and walked to the Senior Master's room with a sense of pride and swagger. I felt like Alexander, who had conquered the world. (I get this feeling seldom, but when I do, it is usually accompanied by a disaster.) Since the optimist in me was pretty confident in Sandeep, I placed the letter and the envelope confidently in front of the Senior Master's desk.He slowly opened the envelope, took his time, and read the letter. His next actions caught me completely by surprise.

HE TORE BOTH THE LETTER AND THE ENVELOPE IN FRONT OF MY EYES.

Anger and confusion filled my face. I angrily asked, "Sir, what happened?" I even wondered if I had accidentally written a love letter, because I was absolutely gobsmacked by his actions.

He slowly turned to me, held back a chuckle, and cleared his throat.

"Uh-oh... Baba, you don't have to put an envelope for this letter. This formal letter is just proof; you are not sending it anywhere."

I quickly followed up by asking, "Sir, then why did you tear the letter then?"

"Baba, by doing so, you folded the letter and spoiled it! Go and bring another letter, but this time don't bring any envelope."

Fair enough, I thought, and sullenly walked back, sulking the entire time.

As soon as I reached my room, I heard a voice.

"ఏంటి, అయిపోయిందా?" ("Hey, is it over?"), said Sandeep.

I turned back with a scowling face and launched a full-blown scolding attack on him. When I vented my anger, I felt a little relieved.

Looking back at the whole story, I had two epiphanies. Sometimes, in the wrong environment, a thing that is meant to protect us ends up destroying us, just like the envelope did to my letter. Another realization I had was that my friend, whom I thought was such a mature guy, was really just a silly and immature kid, and he went on to prove that with his shenanigans. After all, we were only a bunch of 11-year-olds. Acting mature would have been a hindrance to the innocence that forms the crux of childhood.

So, I laughed it off, joked about it, and chilled.

If you have experienced any such things, please do comment.