I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. The sunlight poured through the window, burning my face like it had a personal grudge against me. I groaned, rolled over, and peeked at the wall clock.
11:12 AM.
"Ugh… why is it morning already?" I mumbled, rubbing my face. My mouth was dry, my hair a mess, and my back hurt from sleeping weird.
The faint smell of curry crept into my room, pulling me out of bed like some invisible force. I dragged myself to the kitchen, yawning so hard it felt like my jaw would snap.
Mom wasn't there. The apartment was weirdly quiet—no nagging voice, no clattering dishes, nothing. Just silence. On the dining table sat a covered plate with a sticky note slapped on top:
"Lunch is ready. Don't forget to eat. I've gone to meet Grandma. Heat the food if you're not too lazy. – Mom."
I scratched my head, half-asleep, and pulled the lid off. Steaming rice, thick chicken curry, and the glorious chicken leg piece stared back at me like it was saying, "Eat me, you loser."
I grabbed the plate, flopped onto the sofa, and switched on the TV. Netflix loaded up, and I scrolled mindlessly until I found some random zombie movie. Perfect background noise for my lazy day.
I stuffed my mouth with a huge bite of rice, the spicy curry waking me up more than the sunlight ever could. The chicken leg was juicy, dripping curry as I gnawed on it like it owed me money.
Just as I was getting into the movie, the home phone rang—that ancient landline Mom refused to get rid of.
I groaned. No way was I getting up. I stretched my leg across the coffee table, hooked the phone with my foot, and dragged it closer.
"Hello?" I answered, my mouth still half-full.
"Hello, Mrs. Sharma. This is a reminder that you've missed your loan payment for this month. Kindly—"
Click. I hung up without a word.
"MF bank," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
I scratched my butt lazily with one hand while shoveling more rice into my mouth with the other. On-screen, a zombie's head exploded in slow motion. I burst out laughing, almost choking on my food.
"Man, imagine if that actually happened," I snorted, shaking my head.
But sometimes, the universe listens.
And sometimes… it listens a little too well.