The soft music of Chudi jingled along with Payal, sub-consciously I was aware of the source, I imagined her face,
Recalling the memory of delicious smell arising from the kitchen, her eyes distant to some other world, a world of doom, as her hand continuously and adeptly worked on the round moon-like roti while I rushed to get ready for my school.
"Roti kha ke jana!" stern words but concern lay in-depth, a small glance on her face and I knew she was hiding her fear and sadness.
I shook off the memory before it can get me.
*I am peaceful* a reminder
I was fully awake now, so awake that I can hear all the morning chatter going outside. I heard them planning out things about the arrangements, my grandfather talking about the guy, their parents, the kind of sweets, food, and what I am going to wear.
Everything was planned, and hushed.
I would have stayed there in the bed and listen to their strawberry chatting a little bit more but my digestive tract was in hurry to excrete.
You are teary-eyed and you wanna shit, both the cases, do not hold back.
So, I got up, my eyes half-closed, bumping into something, yawning, stepping out of the room, followed by an annoying 10-year-old of my house nagging behind me about something a neighbor's kid said.
"Bara jaldi uth gaye ji?" Anty commented from the kitchen.
"Sapna me apko dekh liye the" I replied before stepping into the toilet slamming the door on Billu's rat-like face, I did my daily ritual, which You already know what it is without me diving into details, washed my face and opened the door.
It was locked. I jiggled the door voilently,
"Billu, Kutta Kahin ka" I yelled throwing fists on the door " Khol jaldi!"
"Arre kya ho gaya?" Uncle yelled from the other side.
"Subah ho gaya apna ghar me!" Anty replied
I heard laughter.
I started blowing kicks on the door like a possessed woman in a stupid horror movie.
"Billu gate khol de, tod degi nahi to" yelled aunty
Thanks for reading my intentions out loud.
"Nahi mummey, mar degi humko"
"wo to khayega hi, latkhor" I yelled banging the door.
I blew another hard kick and the door was opened with a small click.
I swing open the door, billu was already rushing upstairs.
I chased after him.
"Chhor dijiye na Ji!" I heard my aunty say before I caught him by his t-shirt from behind.
Dhoomm! Dhoomm! Chat!!
That was the morning for me.
"Titiyaa!"
I cringed hearing a distorted version of my name, called by non-other than Dada.
"Dada Titu bolne me kya jata hai? Titiya-titiya kya hota hai?" I complained "Hum apko dadiyya dadiyya bolenge to kesa lagega?"
"Tum humko dadiyya bolegi?"
"apko sunna hai?" I asked
"nahi, sab tumhi ko dushega" He said
"Kahe bulaye?"
"Kal ghar me mehmaan log aarhe hai"
"Kyu?"
"Arre tumre papa ke dost hai, milne aarhe sab se, Thoda chachi ka help kar dena"
I looked over my aunty, who was already staring back at me, gestured with putting her finger on her lips.
I watched him moving his toothy face that reminded me of donkey from Shrek, as he widened his pale eyes he shamelessly lied on my face using my father's name.
"Bohut door se aarhe hain, tumhara papa ka priya-dost hain"
I know what he was trying to do, he thinks he can mold my heart into doing things I dont want to just by connecting my father's name with it.
"Kitne log aarhe?"
"6-7"
"Itne saare dost ek baar me hi?"
"Uska bhai aur arha hai"
"Wo log kyu aarha?"
"yaha koi kaam se arha to bhet karne"
"achcha, Naam kya hai papa ke dost ka?"
"Tum jaan ke kya karegi?" interjected Uncle
"Mere papa ke dost hai na"I said
"Nootan Thakur" answered Dada
"kabhi suna nahi iske bare me"
"Tumko sab baat bhaiyya thori batayenge"
"Aapne jesa haathi ka daat samjhe hai?" I retorted
"Badtamiz!" He gritted his teeth
"chai pee lijiye, chai ban gaya" Aunty sang into the conversation,
"Aaj chicken bana dijiyega, Titiya ko bara pasand hai" Dada chimed
"mere liye murgi ka bali, taki apne liye mera bali" I remarked bitterly before dissapearing into my bedroom, throwing the first thing that I can get my hand onto. That was remote, crashed against the wall.
"Kya tuta?" Shouted data
"Bhram" I yelled back
"Juban bahut chalne laga hai iska!" I heard my uncle say.
"kab tak?" aunty said satirely.
I really want to know, why? Why there is any need to lie? They want to trick me into a relationship that cost whole my life, they want to cheat me?
Using my father's name in his lie.
If this is a family, I wonder what should I expect from my enemies.
I do get angry and get aggressive, harsh with my words but if there is any concern you have for me, I do my best to understand your prespective.
But there was none, not even a human to human.
These are the times, I wish I was a homeless person deprived of everything, with sense of life and will to chase after it.
Wearing my white tshirt and blue jeans, pair of canvas and tieing my long hair in high pony, I left the house, I bumped into someone.
Tall and tanned boy "Aman"
"Sorry di" He said with a apologic smile.
"Arre koi baat nahi" I assured smiling back. His face was red and dripping the beads of sweat. Holding two bags that looked heavy.
"Haan, aap kese hai?" he asked
"Hum bhi thik hai" noticing his struggle with the bags, I offered him my help which he politely declined "Didi aap mera gaming video dekhiyega, youtube pe dale hai mere channel pe"
"bohut mast khelta hai" I said "Subscribe kare hue hai"
"Thankyou" His smile grew wider, looking adorable as always.
I watched his skeletal figure rushing away with difficulty from the weight in his both hands.
Aman was a neighbour's kid, probabily 14 or 15, just behind my house. I don't really know him, just some stories from my aunty, here and there about him and his family, including an uncle and aunty, and old couples. His father died when he was just a toddler, which left his mother to leave him and to marry some other man.
Several times, I have watched him washing his clothes under the sun from my house.
I cannot explain the kind of connection we have, but he gives me a feeling of long lost little brother, a brother that can look up to me. I felt responsible towards him, probably because we are in the same shoe.
I turned again and he was gone..