Parting with a long time companion

Writing this article is making me feel seriously nostalgic. As time passes by, lot change, people depart and, of course, memories fade. This long time confidant has been with me, through my thick and thin, successes and failures (I guess I had lot many failures) and for a staggering 17 years. Day-in and day-out, I just couldn't do away with.

We shared the bed, whether it's exams or movies, long drives or sports, I was with. My best moments on T.V and on my p.c were shared. In sum, I looked at this beautiful world only through its eyes. So now guess who? This dude is none other than my glasses.

I still remember that day, when I was in my 4th class, I cringed back when I saw my classmate wearing glasses. Then, the very next day, I was incumbent with the task of wearing glasses for the rest of my life. What misery. I hated them to the core, I found them not as a fascination but as an obstruction, and the additional overhead of maintenance gripped me. For heavens sake, I didn't want to look like a nerd.

I shunned them from day one and to entice me, my parents put in extreme efforts. The next few paras are entirely dedicated to the efforts that my parents had put in. For nominal eye check-ups, I was taken to Madras (now Chennai) all the way from Kakinada and I was thoroughly checked by one of the best ophthalmologists in the country. My first pair of glasses were bought in Lawrence and Mayo, Chennai (I haven't had a clue of the brand then) and they were over 2000 bucks. (Mind you I was talking about a period that was 17 years ago). They bought another pair of specs that was opthalmic coated, which would reflect a blue light. This specs are my all time favorite and my friends used to love them and play with them

It took only a few months to destroy one specs and the other was a story. During my lunch-break, we all used to play in the play ground and I used to put my glasses inside my pockets. However, one fine day, I wore a sweater and I put them inside it. After the break we rushed to our class rooms and in the process, I dropped them somewhere in the vast play ground. As, I reached my class room, to my utter disgust, I found them lost somewhere. Then, my friends were disappointed and they searched the entire ground, as I gave up thinking about my new specs and some days off without study.

Nearly after four months, one of my friends found those specs in the ground, specs that weathered the sun and the storm. The frame was faded though the glass was great. And, I used them again.

That was the beginning of my huge collection of glasses. I tried photo-sun, carbon frame, half-frame, gold frame, oval, square, plastic ones, metal ones, what not, expensive brands, cheaper brands, a number that is uncountable and unthinkable, my specs arsenal grew and grew. I chewed the legs, bent the rims, threw them off, stepped on them, dropped them hundreds of times, slept with them and slept on them. But, I couldn't do away with them.

After some time, I tried my luck with the contacts during my intermediate. With cylindrical power, contacts didn't fit the bill. I felt irritated, scared and abhorred those lens and switched back to my dear glasses. Innumerable times, I used to repent while searching for them when they are badly needed after I threw them somewhere in disgust. Half the time I spent each day searching for them. They used to creep in, somehow, underneath me while I was asleep and to my horror, I used to wake up with a broken frame or popped out glass or a bent rim.

If this is one side of the problem, the other is a bit more social and even emotional. As I grew, I limited the usage of my glasses to reading, watching T.V and working on my comp. I restricted them to my pockets. I moved around without a clear vision and saw the world through a mist. In the process, I missed out on recognizing people a bit far off and more importantly, their smiles at me. I felt that I was missing something seriously.

Now at 25, I felt that it's the time to bade a happy goodbye to my buddy. I got my sight corrected with a laser eye surgery known as LASIK. I felt sorry for my mate, but cannot help, I finally got rid of them and I feel proud that I am looking at this beautiful world with my own eyes and will never let those smiles at me go in vain.