"I really can't remember a time "before Roma". Proximity set our friendship in motion when our parents worked in the same retail park. Our parent's stores were our second homes, and our friendship was more like a long sleepover interrupted by irritating things like school and sleep. We watched movies, played board games, rode our bikes, and played make-believe for hours on end. I truly wouldn't change a thing."
"I went to high school out of my district so naturally, I had no friends. Roma came up to me one day and asked, “hey aren’t you Indian?”
I said, “yeah, are you?” and in no time we bonded over our favorite Bollywood ballads.
We became the kind of pair of friends that laughed unstoppably at any and everything, could have full conversations in mere glances, and listened to angsty teen rock together.
I am extremely lucky to find the kind of friend who appreciates the small things in life and values love and kindness."
Ameesh is Amit's younger brother by two years. He left Texas after high school, truly having eaten his last-free-roti as they say in the Goyal household. The family and Roma alike anxiously await his visits home, where he's tasked with a laundry list of "tech" jobs.
Be sure to ask him about how many cars Amit has totaled.
"What's funny to me is that I don't remember at all when I first met Amit. I think we were in Biology or History class together [in high school]. I think I started hanging out with him because of Eairheart's English class and then GIPO happened. Should I mention that our friendship was really strengthened when we made that extra credit movie...?"
Be sure to ask him about GIPO and that extra credit video.
"Amit and I first met in early elementary school. We often worked on projects together, played basketball and video games with our close group of friends. As we got older, we went on a number of trips. A memory that stands out was when a group of us went to Iceland. After we checked into one of our Airbnbs in the evening, JJ and I decided to go to sleep since we were exhausted from the flight and drive. It was spring, so the sun was still out (and would be until past midnight). Amit and Chris decided to go walk around, and they later told JJ and I that they had tasted the most amazing food: duck pizza. This claim stands unconfirmed to this day...
Amit introduced Roma during one of our board game nights. It's fun to see them interact, especially when Amit makes cheesy jokes."
Be sure to ask him about the infamous squirrel joke.
"My name is Murtaza and I have been friends with Amit since we were both in 7th grade. I had just moved from another part of Richardson so I didn’t know anyone at this new junior high-school when I arrived. That move was what eventually led me to meet my group of friends that I still have now and that I have been close to for over 18 years. My favorite experience I had with Amit and some other friends was our trip to Belize. We had multiple people almost drown, almost get carried away by an underwater river while spelunking and one unfortunate friend that was stung by a sting ray. The time our mutual friend, was stung by a stingray Amit was 100 percent ready to ditch our captain who had swam out to find lobsters in the ocean 2 hours earlier but hadn’t returned. In his defense he was under the impression our friend was going to bleed to death and that we had to get to a doctor immediately."
Be sure to ask him about more details from the Belize trip.
"The first time I met Amit, he was swiping the window seat I coveted in the office. But since that day, we have bonded and he's become one of my closest friends even though he's a Cowboys fan. Corona may have slowed us down this year, but it hasn't stopped us."
Be sure to ask him about the various food festivals we have attended.