I could not find this
boy funny ever. Seriously. He buzzed into my life a number of times. And it has
been a trouble to put him aside that many times. He was a mosquito. Nothing less.
He
had two mouths. Whenever he got tired of speaking with one, he’d put on the
second one. He never told anyone about this trick ever but I knew it. He used
to replace the first one when no one looked at him. But I saw him doing that
once. He opened his eyes this big then as if he was surprised but quickly posed
a smile. I smiled a big one at him then, too. He talked a lot, I tell you. And
if you went ahead thinking that he used the two mouths for sucking more blood
out of people, then I won’t be scolding you. I am not of that kind, anyway. People called him Nayan by the way, for his name
was that. Friends called him Nepu. I preferred not calling him at all.
Thankfully,
we were not friends. I mean he lived in my building, precisely three floors
above me, but we were not friends. Not of best kind of friends, I mean. More
thankfully, he was not in my school for then if he were of my age then he might
have been in my class even and I don’t want to imagine that. He was two years
older than me. He never bullied me, though. Or anyone! But that’s the only good
part about him, I should warn you.
I
remember once he came to play badminton with us in the winter last year. We had
one badminton court which I forgot to tell about you until now. It had
broad, white lines painted, light-bulbs all around and a very beautiful net
right at the centre of the court. The white seam of the net matched precisely
with the white lines of the court. Oh, it was one good-looking court that I
forgot to tell you somehow.
So
that winter he came, for a change, to play with us. He
was not that bigger than me and my friends. Just a tiny bit taller.
Put-a-shuttle-over-my-head kind of taller. So, my best friend and I were on
this side of the court and two of my other best friends on the other side. He
came and started talking with us. I told you, he could talk with grasses even.
So we talked. Then he asked us if he could play with us. Few rallies only, he
had said. With the side of my eye, I saw him coming towards me. I prayed then that
shuttle doesn’t fall for some years. Was I supposed to hand over my
racket to someone? Anyone? It fell the next moment anyhow. We
were that good- the players, I realize today.
‘Racket?’,
he shot at me.
I
saw his face. It had a smile. What a wonderful smile. Lips pointing to the left
and the right direction precisely parallel to the court. Some have downward
smile, people like me. His was the perfect horizontal one. I liked that.
‘You
can play with us every day. You get a racket and you can play with us anytime.
We all have our own racket, you see. Do you have a racket, by the way? May be
at home?’, I pleaded, one after the other.
‘Yes, I have one. But
who had thought that I would come here and play, as well. I saw you folks
playing, so just thought to hit a few. Racket?’
‘Oh!
Then, I can get it for you. See. No issues.’ And before I could finish speaking
it, I ran. He always makes me run. Few years ago, I remember quite clearly the
evening he left his dog after me. Though, it was not that he really wanted
to do it but it did turn out that way somehow. He had not put the leash over
his dog, and unfortunately, said something that his dog comprehended inappropriately
and came to me to fetch me for him. Though, I was not that fat that
day to be assumed as a ball or thing like that. Nevertheless, I ran that day.
Without a question!
So
I ran today too, and got his racket, so that he could play with us for his
change. He had waited quite patiently till I got his racket, I must say. But he
had said something to me when I had just begun to run which I did not hear then.
My friend told me later that he said how pathetic I was. It turned out that his
racket was more pathetic. He ran to the net for a shot but the head of the
racket hit the floor and broke before he could go further with the shuttle. So,
he went away soon. I was still helping myself with the panting.
With
panting I remember, he hasn’t been good to me in any season of the
year. Even in the month of October which I like the most. I liked this
girl who lives in the next building. I haven't told this to anyone though, not
even her. But I did like her somewhat. And, during Durga Puja that
incidentally falls in October mostly every year, she used to dance in the local
festival. I don't say local just because she danced in that, I say it just
because it was local. I mean it was not that popular and only
local residents visited or may be their relatives or the passersby, sometimes.
And she had been dancing there since time immemorial. She was in my class in
the school as well. So, I had no reason that I could see to unlike her. If I
remember correctly, my mother loves those pandals and
activities running under it, so she pushed us every night to go along with her
there. One of those nights has to have her performance, so it was fine for
me.
But this year, the October that
just went by, that boy did the most atrocious thing possible on the earth. He
took part in the same dance performance as hers. It was the most ridiculous thing
I had ever seen. The fact that he danced with her didn't hurt me much though.
What hurt me today, just now, as I lay in this hospital, is the fact that in
the performance she had to impress him so that he ends up
marrying her. And all this was to be done publicly. Illogical, actually. We
know that a boy has to impress a girl and they were doing it the other way. I
asked her about this one evening, without giving her much indication of
anything obviously, and she said it is one of the stories from our holy books.
I wonder how holy was that book. Thankfully she did not tell me the name of the
book or else I might have found that I had read or even liked that book. It
would have been somewhat ironical, I believe. Anyway, he did end up dancing with her
that night. Or it was only evening, if I remember. I should be telling him
as well someday soon that it was not very logical.
I remember all this as I
lay on this white bed. They have to put needle inside me right now, so I will
have to take your leave. Before I leave you let me add that I don't like this boy even now as he sleeps on the next bed, he being stung by a mosquito.
That might seem awkward and funny but I would advise you against it. Mosquitoes
are terrible at putting you on beds. Anyway, as I was telling you, I do not
like him as he doesn't even care to wake up now, and smile his perfectly horizontal
smile at least, when I am giving my blood to him even when he hasn't asked for
it, for a change. Such is the world, I tell you.