PROLOGUE

It was raining. At least in my head, I believe that it was raining. That makes it a little bit more dramatic and fun to read. Rain was quite common these days. In my 23 years on this earth and especially here, I fail to remember any time like this, when it started raining from the beginning and continued to rain throughout the year. Naturally, I am inclined to presume it was raining, even though I forgot the day itself. I presume it was.

She was waiting at the corner of the road on her scooter. I was late. Mind you! It was the first time I was ever late but nonetheless I was. Late. I looked at my watch constantly while I walked past hordes of dummies rushing besides me. Everyone was in a hurry. The scarecrows, the plastic models and the paper animals, every single being was rushing somewhere. No one wanted to be outside. I wouldn’t blame them it was 2020, the year of the virus. Everyone seemed to be galloping and here I was. Late.

If you knew me, even a week before I started writing this book, I would have had a parade of reasons why I was late. The Sloth of a bus driver, or my father who stuck around me like a leech, oh I have so much more of those. But if there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that, if you have made enough excuses, then no matter how real it is, your next excuse will, just be “an excuse”. Besides, that doesn’t even matter. What matters is, I was late.

Can you believe it though? It had been 8 months since we had met. And I was late. Ugh! I hate to say it. Stupid piece of shit me! Ironically, I have this Bojack horseman poster right in front of my bed, which says “Stupid piece of shit”. I look at it every morning as soon as I wake up. It sort of just falls right in the sight of vision. Makes me feel that much worse. Cheers!

She had called me a few moments earlier, I’d say she was pretty bummed, and you don’t know her when she is angry. It’s like… it’s funny actually, she looks like a cute little piglet. She squealed on the phone. Man! was she angry! She was so angry that it made me angry. Like what the fuck dude! you always come late. No pun intended. Well, not always, but most of the time. Still, the one time I’m like what two minutes? I looked at my watch.

Let’s see, five? 

fifteen?

Thirty minutes!

Mother fucker! 

And it was raining!

Oh shit! I fucked up. Real bad. I turned a corner, this path led to a temple, a famous one at that, and you know how it is in south Asia, temples are always packed. A distance away she stood, her scooter beside her, the rain pouring down, her purple umbrella barely covering her purse. I, on the other hand, clumsy as always, soaked in rain with my phone in my hand and the map lady telling me to take the next left even though I had no intention of going there. Shut up you robot sounding bitch, my destination is here.

I saw her there and as soon as I did. I started whispering to myself, almost as if it was a defense mechanism of some sorts.

“Don’t get angry”

“Don’t get angry”

“Don’t get angry”

I was almost like a Hindu priest on funerals, saying the same shit over and over again. Everyone around me were gone, the streets were empty. All I could see was her. There. Waiting for me. Angry! and me screaming to my mind.

“Don’t you dare get fucking angry you little fuck, it’s not worth it”.

 I reached near her, our eyes met and suddenly everyone was back again in the world. The roads were busy again, the scarecrows tuned to men and the models into women who seemed keen to hear everything around them. Half of my mind had the intention to shout at them to mind their own fucking business, but I had other matters at hand.

“Don’t be angry”

“Don’t be angry”

We broke up.