Innocent crime partners

Now a days office teammates have WhatsApp groups to socialize each others. So many collaboration tools, some time feels not to utilize it. Many time its divert your focus of work.

One day one of my teammates who just joined my team was working in the USA, prior to joining us. He was trying to get connected with me on our official social collaboration platform and asking for some personal information.

I got annoyed and did not give him any information. Stop chatting with him, still, he was trying to chat with me. I was avoiding him.

One day he just crossed his limit and typed my name which was my before marriage name, and asked if you are the same?

I just got surprise how he knows it. Still I have avoided him.

Hardly in office, anyone knows my name as Meenu, Meenu Kulkarni, which is prior marriage. After marriage I changed My name as Ranu Kulkarni, Everybody in the office used to know me as Ranu Kulkarni.

2-3days passed, I have not responded to him.

He also has not tried to chat with me.

One day during coffee break happened to meet him in cafeteria, he gave big smile! In response to his smile, I also gave smile back. 

He tried to ask me how are you, your parents etc. 

I asked him back, then he said we were staying in same colony, next door of yours.

As 30-35 years passed... I forgot his name and could not able to recollect it.

 He has given plenty of examples which we shared together in our childhood.

Playing together, cheating each othethers to win the game!

Then I recollected his name as we use to call him as Shamu, his name is Shamlal.

Our colony friends use to tease us with each other names..

I got very shy to speak with him now..

He said why to shy, we spend very good time in our childhood. Isn't it?

He opened lots of memory stored in his memory box, innocent living, small crime, cheating others... One day he cut my hair as he not liked my big hair which requires me to tie, put ribbon on it.

I cut his eyebrow too.

So innocent incidents.

One day both of us did one crime, which was stolen money from our mother's purse to buy Ice Cream.

After having Icecream, my mother asked who gave money to you both for buying Ice Cream. We just looked at each other and started crying and telling her, we took it from your purse.

 My mother use to scold us, she said it is ok now but as you grow you have to understand it is a crime, police may bit you..

After that I use to give her a promise I will not repeat the crime.. Yes learning life lessons, overcoming those innocent crimes which is not a good habit.

After 30-35 Years this my innocent crime partner came in front of me and that memory once again become fresh, but the guilt was there. Thanks to my mother who stoped us and gave good lesson not to do this type of crime, even innocently, unknowingly not do engage yourself in any type of crime.