CHAPTER 6 - DAY 13

 

 

At the thirteenth day of my grandfather’s death, I had to visit their home. It a ritual of some sorts. I don’t really know what happens. When my own uncle died last year, frankly speaking, I do not remember what all we did. I don’t fancy myself reminiscing those days. So, here I was like Dracula from Castle Vania. I didn’t give a shit. I was just there. I watched. The priest had his work cut out and my mothers had theirs. The men sat chatting somewhere, some of my uncles played cards while some helped with food. I watched.

My cell phone had gone crazy in the last few days. Between me and Jeffry I had been calling her for about 150 times a day. The phone couldn’t handle much of it. The mic started glitching and soon, the mic was gone. Gone! I mean I couldn’t speak anything through it so it served no other purpose than playing games. But I needed to call her still so I had to get it to work.

You know, the other day when I went to get it fixed the guy said 2 weeks? 2 weeks? Seriously, If I really could remember a pop culture reference to signify how fucking annoying this was I would, really. But then again, I wanted to get it fixed. So two weeks. No phone. Gotta live with it.

Now where was I? Yes! I watched. My cousin and I used to get along back then but now he was, I don’t know, depressed or something. He seemed distant. We hadn’t met for over two years now and had may be so much to talk about, but we chose not to. I asked him about football and how Chelsea won the champions league and shit and well he answered.

I’m gonna be honest it felt like chatting with someone who is not at all interested in you. So, I am guessing you can understand how my day went. Alone. I mean it wasn’t that bad. We got to eat Baras and khir and other stuff so I guess it was kind of good but, it just wasn’t a day I was planning to have.

Back at home too. I guess Jeffry would be the only one waiting for me. But then again Jeffry is "me", so, I am in fact alone there too. Come to think about it I hadn’t even been on social media for 13-14 days now. That was how much I was calling and redialing and stuff.

My grandfather’s place has a basketball court or shall I say hoop. I stayed below it for a while. Mom and dad chatted and worked. I had no phone so nothing much I could have done any way. I like to think that Jeffry stayed back home because he wasn’t there either. You know if this was like a month ago, may be at least I would have had a message or a text from somewhere or someone, but here and now, it was just me and the hoop below which I sat eating curd and lalmohan on a plastic plate.

I looked at the sky but I didn’t rain had been some time since we had a day without rain.

“Hey.” Came a voice just then. I turned around it was my dad. Now I find it incredibly disrespectful to quote my dad, or I just don’t want to come up with a dialogue right now. You can choose either one of these. But I’m not gonna have a quotation mark and dialogue for my dad. I’ll just say that he said that he and mom had to stay there tonight and so I had to go back home alone.

And so, I went home. They did offer me to stay there but I preferred being alone. Its not like It would be crowded there either but, you know what I mean. Dad booked me a Pathao ride. The Pathao rider, my first ever ride, was a young man almost the same age as me. I called him up, scared and nervous, as if I was going on a date. Ugh social interactions.

Also, what the fuck are we supposed to say while riding the bikes via Pathao? That’s the worst part. If the ride is longer, it gets awkward, way awkward. If its more than 30 minutes away I’d prefer a bus really. But it was a bit late and buses these days were walking corona factories…not that I’d say anywhere is any safer.

So, I got on his bike. I believe it was a Shine motorbike. I think. I don’t remember because, oh I don't give a fuck about bikes. I fucking hate them to be honest and also that day I had a lot on my mind. We didn’t speak a word throughout the ride. There were like four sentences that we spoke all together.

“Are you the one who ordered the ride?”

“Yes”

….

“How much do I owe you?”

“165”

 I got off a few minutes away from the house and walked the way there. The keys to my home jiggling in my pockets. The air was thick and with my mask on. It was difficult to breathe in. I quickly rushed home. The outer gate was open. The double door that led inside was locked. I pulled out the huge keys, searched for the number 105.

“You’re back” came a voice just then from my side. It was Jeffry of course, he looked tired, sounded tired too. He took heavy breaths.

“Yeah, are you fine?”

“Oh Yeah mate, I’m fine”

I found the key and put it in the keyhole, turned it around. Just as I was about to push the door open, Jeffry stopped me. He stood before the door.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

“You have to promise me to not pass out”

I paused for a moment. Looked at him. Then shook my head having nothing to say. I really should have said something may be asked why he said that. But I didn’t. I went in, and climbed the stairs. As I did, voices started ringing inside the house. They sounded familiar, despite the difference in tone all these voices they were…. They were mine.

I rushed to the room climbing the marbles stairs in only a few seconds. Jeffry rushed beside me.

“Calm! Calm!” He exclaimed from behind.

The moment I entered the room I was shocked, amazed or crazy. One of these three. The room was filled with five more of me. They didn’t look exactly like me but I could sense that they were in fact me. With Jeffry and me all together that would make us six.

I blinked. Twice as they grumbled and mumbled and cried and shouted.

It was nothing less than a zoo or that opening scene from Night at the museum.