485 Natasha Badhwar One of my best friends has been in a hospital ICU all this week. How does one discover who one’s best friend is? Sometimes they need to land up in hospital for you to realise that even though you may have met in your adult years —when it is cooler to be busy and distant rather than enthusiastic about each other — you are quite madly in love with this person. The physical reaction in your body tells you that you are no longer okay after finding out that your friend is seriously ill. I’m one of those gifted people who has lots of friends. Sometimes I joke that I don’t make friends. Friends make me. My friend, S, however, is the exception. When I first began to read her online, I was fascinated by her candid demeanor. She seemed so sure of herself. So confident and casual about being seen by strangers online. I wanted her to know me, even as I regarded my own self as awkward and tongue-tied.