Boy, what boy!

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.