CHAPTER 7- OTHERS

 

There I was with a room full of chatter angry grumbles and cries. It was like a circus. I turned around and looked at Jeffry.

“So umm” He started. “These are the others! Well almost all of them are here”

“What?”

“The others, the other versions of you”

“What the fuck are you on about?”

 I looked around and even though our voices matched, I couldn’t see how these people could be… me.

“Are you serious?” asked Jeffry. “I mean they look the same act the same talk the same”

What the fuck was this guy talking about was the first thing that came to my mind. All I could see was a child, a middle-aged uncle, and three people who barely showed their faces sitting at the corners of the room.

“Mate shut up with your British accent shithousery, and get you and your imaginary friends out of here, Its hard enough dealing with you every day!”

“But… They’re me, I mean you!”

I grabbed his hand and dragged him before the first man. He was an old dude may be in his 40’s his hair line behind his ear almost.

“How the fuck is this thing supposed to be me?”

 Jeffry took one look at the man and looked back at me.  He was grumbling and shouting with himself.

“Look closely? Its me! I mean you! The angry us.”

He was right, when I looked closely. I knew it. I knew it was me, not that I had any doubts before even though I taunted Jeffry. I could vividly see his nose his face his eyes how they turned how they stretched. It was like I was looking at a mirror. The only thing was his hairline, and his red forehead, it spread like the Sahara spread in Africa and killed almost all his hair. Veins like snakes ran through that scalp of his and what little hair he had waved in the cool air.

“The fuck did you just say mother fucker!” he roared. He grabbed Jeffry by the throat. The veins in his hands throbbed as if they grabbed the skinny long neck... my skinny long neck, I guess. Ugh. Is this guy like serious. Wait Jeffry is choking.

I tried to stop the man; his grip was tight. “He said nothing, nothing” I pleaded. If this guy was me which he was apparently he had been hoarding up all the protein I have been eating for the last 22 years. Man’s like a hulk.

Somehow and I do not say it lightly when I say, with great struggle I made him let go of the man.

“Serious Imma fuck you up, I’m telling ya” he still screamed off the top of his voice.

“Hey it was the wall I think who said that to you”

Off the top of my head, I said that and the man started punching the fucking wall. I’m starting to think when you read this you might assume that some part of me is really stupid.  Yes, yes, it is. I believe everyone has that stupid… stupid version of themselves and turns out my angry self was that version for me.

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“Are you having a monolgue?”

“Huh?”

“Like, I mean, we need to write the story”

“Jeffry this is my space to vent out! get out of the fourth wall you fucking idiot!”

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Jeffry had marks of fingers all round his white neck which he tried covering up by raising the collar of his shirt. He was probably gonna say something about how being white made marks appear which was shitty.

“Ok I get that guy is kinda like me, face wise” I said. I actually wanted to avoid Jeffry’s issues . I’d rather face the other idiots than talk to that man about his issues. I really haven’t talk to him that much but he seems like a man with a lot of fucking issues. Did I use the  word "issue" a lot?. Feels like I did, but its no issue.

“Are you paying attention!” he said. The angry version of me kept slamming his fists onto the wall until bits of plaster fell from the wall and his knuckles were swollen. And he kept doing it.

For a moment I was lost at the way this guy was. I mean why would one do that? What is the deal with this guy geez?

“Are you paying attention?” Jeffry asked again.
“Huh yeah, yeah I get it! He is me with a lot of anger issues”

“Yes, we are all you and yet you call me Jeffry”

“First of all, its confusing with two…. Six people with the same” I gave one look to the idiot who had passed out on the wall from blood loss from his knuckles. “Kind of same face”

Then I looked around at the other four and at one corner, this guy was smoking. Wait what the hell, I don’t even smoke also why does he kinda look like 2011 Justin beaver? Is that surya light? Wait why do I know the brand and specific name of the ciggratte.

I rushed to the man who sat next to the sofa facing the eastern door leading to the main room’s verandah.

“Hey hey hey” I shouted? I don’t know I probably said it like the main dude from you’re the millers.

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 Side bar. It’s a cool movie and I know you guys know the “ you guys get paid” meme. It came from there.

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Jeffry rushed behind me.

 

“Dude. Dude. Dude!! you can’t smoke in here”

“Yeah mate, you gotta put that out”

The guy didn’t even listen. His hair was covering half his eyes and he wore a hoodie from 2010. Justin beaver! he looked like Justin beaver more than me. In case I didn’t get your spelling right JB, I meant it that way. If I did get it right, then, yeah, I meant it that way.

The guy had a lighter and everything, and proceeded to light the cigarette. I tried to snatch it off him and I did too, but then he had another one ready a few seconds later.

“You’re telling me this guy’s me too?” I asked Jeffry frustrated. He shook his head slowly in agreement.

“Are you shitting me” I shouted. I sat by his side pointing out the cigarette in his mouth. Kind of like a power point presentation.

“You mean to say this dude who kinda looks like Justin beaver in a bad way! And is also smoking a cigarette in my house”.

 I tossed the cigarette out of his mouth. The guy drew out another and lit it up in a flash. I cringed at the thought of this guy being me. But Jeffry once again shook his head. That fucking stupid piece of shit shook his head in agreement.

“What? I don’t even smoke how the fuck are you going to explain that?”

“Umm you smoked last year in Pokhara, in that trip remember?!”

“What in the hell. That was one cigarette, are you going to say that that one cigarette made and alternate emo chain smoking version of me?”

I paused. “And I swear to god if you shake your head, I will kill you”

He tried to open his mouth.

“Or speak it” I said in a flash. I mean for some reason I didn’t want this guy to be me. No hate to JB. Peaches is a great song I listen to it almost every week.

“Dude I’m you” came a voice from my side and it was him. The low budget JB with a cigarette in his mouth, speaking while blowing off a smoke ring.

I sat down on the sofa. What else could I do. There was blood on my parquetting, a 40-year-old me half dead lying there, an emo teen version of me smoking inside the room filling it up with second hand smoke. Another version of me crying at the corner like some depressed piece of shit. Jeffry! I won’t say more about him. He’s a cunt and Yall know it by now. And a kid… wait where did the kid go? He was right there a moment ago like..

Just then two tiny arms wrapped around my shoulder. It was cozy and somehow so innocent and pure. It felt like I was a child again, and all the problems of this and that, and Jeffry was gone. I closed my eyes.