The drink might have finished but the hangover remains

"It's Happy Hours at this café and that's why we must go."

Clearly, the world has remained a better place because of people who hog like we do. Nothing beats the love for free food, eh?

It's been roughly three years, or perhaps more, since we met. However, there's something about meeting your old buddies after a long gap. One of those things that strikes you every single time you meet old friends is change. Change in the physical attributes, change in personal lives, change in professional lives, and so on. A lot has changed but it's all still the same.

Every reunion goes through five stages. I gladly present them to you.

Stage #1: RSVP

This involves one person breaking his/her head at getting the other lot together. Needless to say, it involves picking a date when the lot can attend, setting and sending reminders (as though it were a meeting; well, it's of sorts), and then checking to see if they made it on time. After a lot of last minute cancellations, tiring phone conversations, and hassling traffic, the gang finally (somehow) descends.

Stage #2: Three's company

You choose a seat right next to the person you did in college. Though college has been long gone, but you still choose to sit next to him/her. Then, you start the chatter. You yap about every possible thing you can imagine, biting right into the platter that's adorning the table. Then, there's the beauty of beer. Two pints down and the table is buzzing with intellectuals. Right from polygamy to medicine manufacturing, you discover the connect in conversations.

Stage #3: Euphoria

Now that there's F&B in your system, you are the king of this world. You laugh—laugh aloud, laugh cheekily, laugh repeatedly, but you just laugh. Over and over again. You reach a stage when you laugh at a random sentence that's not even remotely funny. Then, you want to capture the madness, so you pose for cameras. Out come the paparazzi and you pose like celebrities, with selfies in tow. This leaves you with a humongous number of photos, which you want to edit, reject, frame, and upload to Facebook right away, and you eventually follow suit. This stage is the best stage of the reunion if you ask me. Nothing beats the madness that you live in these moments.

Stage #4: Epiphany

This is where you come to terms with reality. You accept what has been and accept what will be. You just want to live in the moment and don't want the day to end. You hug it out, kiss it out, dance it out, but you wish to go on. And now you know nothing's going to be the same again. Ever.

Stage #5: Hasta la Vista

The departing is sometimes the most easiest and the most difficult part. You make plans to meet again. You promise to meet up often from now on, swear to remain in touch, and none of it happens. However, you see your friends smiling and tell yourself, "I have no idea why I love these idiots!" Then you spend the next hour just saying bye a million times. Then, at the million-and-one^th time, you bid adieu and start walking, just to hear one of them yell, "Dude, I'll call ya!"

Nutcases Version 2014