Unread

"Hello, can we call?"It was the fifth day in a row when Evelyn had texted Sophia. Sophia was the class topper, Evelyn was a mediocre but quite a good student. Sophia had called her already twice in this week but Evelyn's heart longed for more conversation with her friend. So she could not control her overwhelming desire to write to her. Sophia turned off the read receipts first and then opened the message. She murmured to herself"Don't get me wrong Evelyn, but I can't call you all day every day". Little Evelyn was 16 years old, well not exactly little, but she had a sensitive heart just like a little child. She became upset.

This was the first incident that just made the crack in their friendship, which had lasted from nearly 10 years. As the years passed more messages became unread. From facts to friendship statements, all were unread. Evelyn lost hope,...... And heart. It wasn't that Sophia didn't love her anymore. She loved her and was as possessive of her as the 5 year old Sophia was. But the numerous messages irritated her and the questions"Did you like the message?", irritated her. She was every bit as friendly to her face to face. Soon Evelyn began doubting her when Sophia even refused to call her when she needed her just-after an interview failure.They grew up, Sophia got a job, Evelyn too became a professor. How peculiar was their relationship, just like a distributary and a river,walking through a rough journey together,as the same entity,extinguishing just at the brink of eternity, their separation fuelled by the sediments of distrust and their own separate lives.

Evelyn soon became focused on her husband, Abraham. Sophia was heartbroken,and angry all the same,not at her'innocent' best friend but at her love, who she claimed had something to do in the act of supplying impure salt for dressing the wounds of their friendship. But it wasn't Abraham, it was all the Unread messages, it was all about the small call, which could have led their remaining small path to everlasting friendship.