The Friend I Never Called ‘Friend’

**The Friend I Never Called ‘Friend’** I never thought of him as a friend. In fact, for most of school, I thought he didn’t even like me. He never smiled at my jokes. Never praised my assignments. While others got a nod or a pat, I just got... silence. And yet, I kept showing up. To his class. To his tests. Because something about the way he taught made me uncomfortable — in a way that pushed me to become better. I once failed a science project. I’d messed up the timing, the experiment didn’t work, and the whole class saw it fall apart. He didn’t scold me. He didn’t console me either. He just said, “Try again. You’ll learn something when it’s not easy.” I went home angry that day. But I tried again. And again. And that third version? It actually worked. I still remember how he watched it quietly from the back of the class and just nodded once — not smiling, not clapping — just *nodding*, like he’d expected it all along. Back then, I didn’t call it friendship. I called it teaching. Mentoring. Maybe even tough love. But looking back now? He saw me — even when I didn’t see myself. He didn’t flatter me when I needed truth. He didn’t help me escape failure. He helped me face it. That’s not just teaching. That’s friendship in its rarest, rawest form. The kind that doesn’t cling, doesn’t post selfies, doesn’t exchange gifts. The kind that shapes you quietly, then lets you walk ahead without asking for credit. Years later, I returned to school — not for a speech or a celebration, just to walk those corridors again. And he was still there. Older, quieter… but still carrying that same calm strength. I looked at him and said, > “Sir, I never told you this… but you were the reason I became who I am.” He looked at me, half-smiled, and said, > “I know. You just needed time to know it too.” **This Friendship Day**, let’s not just tag friends we laugh with. Let’s remember the ones who challenged us, shaped us, and stood by us — without fanfare. Sometimes, the truest friends are the ones we never called “friend.” SBK