SO1ACE

It started on a rainy day. So1ace was one of the best friends I had ever in my life. He arrived in my life on 29th January 2013. I spent 3 to 4 weeks prior to that date, aggressively looking for a companion who could take me to where ever I want. Finally, I found So1ace from Nad-e-Ali. He just arrived from California to Virginia. His brother introduced So1ace to him. It was not a good match according to Nad-e-Ali hence decided to forgo So1ace. I took few of my friends (Meftah, Moshiur, Abhishek, Riaz) with me just to get an opinion on before embarking upon my new relationship :). It was raining heavily and we took a stroll with the hope of knowing each other. So1ace was small and slick and immediately gave a good impression on all of the attentive observers. Without hesitation, I allowed myself into the relationship joyfully. The whole process took only $1650 out of my pocket. To quote So1ace's ex, Nad-e-Ali: "Brother you will win I am telling you ...". I have heard people speak their mind when they are drunk. It turns out to be true in this case. Hence the beginning of our relationship.

So1ace helped me day/night any time you ask him for help without any hesitation. The first and foremost reason I needed a companion was the fact that I was frequently visiting my wife in Philadelphia. When I first showed So1ace to my wife Sheetal, she seemed indifferent. I did not feel bad because So1ace made my life so easy. The other reason I needed So1ace was the fact that I often had to stay longer than usual times at my GMU lab which meant I had no one who could help me coming back to home late night. I still cherish those sleepless nights at GMU then coming back with So1ace, or those late night visit to the lab specially when I used to have some projects/meetings due in the following day. How can I forget those selfless company So1ace gave me without complaining. On average I had spent only $200-250 per year to help So1ace recuperate from illness. Neither complaining nor very demanding. Such was his devotion towards me. I feared the worst in Summer 2015 when I had to travel to Minnesota for a Summer intern at 3M. Many a person gave their verdict that So1ace would not last if I had to take his company for such a long distance. I took the bet and So1ace proved everybody wrong. We stopped intermittently in every state we came across and enjoyed the scenic landscape. So1ace was also a very good trainer with years of experience in his pocket. At least 7-8 people took their trainings with So1ace before embarking their own companionship with another one. I strongly believe they are also grateful to So1ace.

I was negligent toward So1ace starting from 2016. One of the reasons was myself getting extremely busy and stressed to finish my school. I did not take enough care of him lately. Starting from 2017 his illness began to creep up more frequently than usual. I was mentally prepared to say a final goodbye. I had a gut feeling that So1ace would break down any day after such a rigorous load he undertook over the years. That feeling came true 07/06/2017. I had been juggling with 4-5 tasks together for the past few weeks. My mental stress led to inattentiveness during my commuting from US Army Research Lab, Adelphi, Maryland to home. The Interstate-495 is very wiggly as if it is a car racing track. It was raining and we were traveling at a high speed. I remember So1ace started to rotate 360 degrees and I immediately tried to negate the rotation. We made a dance swing for a split of a second and I could not hold back So1ace's hand. It was a fatal dance swing which So1ace could not survive, but thanks to Allah I survived with a little bruise on my hands. So1ace -01/29/2013-07/06/2017- was one of my best friends I ever had and will be in my memory forever. And it was raining when we had our last company together.