CHAPTER 1

 

There was a car outside. No, may be a bike. Really can’t know these days. They all sound the same. Loud and stupid. “Can you stop that dad!” I shouted. Then again how was he supposed to, it’s not ours’ we don’t own a vehicle. Dad is kind of scared, mom doesn’t want one, and I couldn’t care less.

The window overlooking the road is right next to my bed. I get up and I see the Bojack poster and then turn to the left in disgust and there it is. It was the water truck by the way, on the road. I guess I need to explain what the fuck a water truck was doing at my door step, six in the morning, on a rainy day.

A lot of people from my hometown, must already know whatever the fuck is going on. But for you lot who don’t understand, its because we need to buy jars of drinking water every week, cause we ain’t got that sweet juice coming home every day in our taps. So, this morning, as it poured from the skies, I looked outside and there it was. The water truck.

Now six o’ clock might be early for some people but it’s kind of ok for me. It’s this habit I’ve been put into since I was small that, no matter how late I sleep, I just can’t sleep past six in the morning. I wake up and I do my regular stuff, hit the loo, drink water and cereal and just the normal stuff.

I’d imagine everybody would want me to be freaking out. I broke up yesterday, from an almost six-year long relationship. I should be devastated, right?

Wrong!

You see me and my G, we are different. Well at least that’s what I think. Over the six years, we have broken up several times and almost always found ourselves back with each other. So, No, I wasn’t worried. That kind of fight was like a casual Monday for us.

I pulled up my semi torn trousers and a t-shirt, I don’t know how old, and headed down stairs to help my parents. Two gallons full water, up three storeys, that’s about the workout I do every week. Trust me, if you saw me, you’d know that even this seemed like I was bluffing.

I came back to my room, as it was the moment I woke up.  It’s a drag that I’m no longer in the two-room apartment from two years ago and mom could just clean the room herself, because it would technically be our common room. Too bad that was five years ago, and now all of this needs to be done by me and me alone. I sighed but I did it anyway. One fold and another and placed the blanket to the side, tucked out the mosquito net from the edges of my bed and finally, mended the sheets.

Then, I believe I sat down on my stupid chair before my weird study table which is more like a cupboard than an actual table. Funny story, when my dad made this, I was pretty happy and I was there watching the whole thing being built. I said nothing when the guy literally made no spots for my legs, I mean, it’s a kitchen rack! Why the hell did I not say anything? For real 2019 me, you had some serious issues man.

Every time I sit down that’s the first thing that comes to my mind. “Why didn’t I say anything?”.

My laptop is among the many things that sit atop the table. I have a calendar. A box thingy for stuff like paper (you'll probably hear about this later), a watch… my watch, a turtle looking thing and golden Ganesh picture. I’m not sure if its engravings? or a real picture, but it’s there, so, imagine it however you want to.

I sat down and opened up my laptop. My phone was in my hand of course, an I-phone 7 my uncle brought for me back in 2017 worked pretty well but had issues, I don’t want to discuss. I browsed through my phone. Naturally I had no notifications, no texts obviously and no snaps. I was in a messenger group with my friends from college and there was a pretty funny tiktok sent up there but I didn’t react. I chuckled but didn’t react. The group was muted.

I am pretty antisocial, and I won’t even try and hide that fact. For friends I ‘d say I have a lot of hello hi, see ya kind of friends. Friends who I actually talk to may be eight. Friends, who I talk to when I’m not in college well two. One of them is my G and the other is my oldest friend. We went to the same school, the same college and then when it was time for our undergrad, we kind of separated because I got into one school and him to another. We still try to stay in touch as much as we can. But here’s the thing about best friends that’s a hard pill to swallow, even if you don’t want to, you drift apart barely enough to stay in touch and yet know nothing about each other’s lives. So, in other words your best friend is probably the only “hello hi” friend you have.

So, no messages.

“She’s pretty bummed that little potato” I thought. But hey! I’m pretty bummed too. I turned to look at our cheesy texts. My laptop fan was roaring, the poor thing has been broken since the week I bought it.

I smiled. It was a picture. But then I had to rush to push it aside, because my mom bashed in my room. I don’t know why though, because my parents actually know I have a girlfriend I have no idea why I’m this stupid.

She looked around like a prowling fox looks around the snow for that one rabbit.

“Did you make your bed?”

I turn around give one look at my bed and another at my mom.

Now I’m pretty sure I make my bed fine, but my mom always finds these little details that my peasant eyes fail to see. She rushed in and made the already made bed, and somehow it was made better.

“Good for nothing” she mumbled under her breath and left like she had entered. Sharp.

It was seven already. If I know my G, she won’t be talking to me unless I talk to her. And I know myself too A bit too much ego, the both of us have.

We are both pretty mad.