Kindred
His cup of noodles was
lying on the table before him. Six times before today, he shared it with that someone
who he thought would last. It was an instinct – a tingling wish to share time,
a slice of life, a feeling that would only be fleeting. Alas.
Not far away, she put
an end to a long conversation - over the phone - with someone who would be an
enjoyable part of life. ‘A filler of a fling,’ she calls it. She never bothered
the aftermath. She spent most of her time ticking off conversations and crosses
with a guy.
He forced himself out
of bed, kicked the table, cracked his cup, and combed his hair – after several
washes to remove her perfumed stroke against his short brown hair. He dressed
himself in shorts, locked his door and walked out with the sound of music in
his ears. And She dressed herself in a stunning blue gown. She kissed her roommate,
Jo, and left her room asking people for The Café.
There is a remarkable quality in every individual story,
today. There are impressive clichés. Yet, there is outstanding relevance to
every life around. Every time I wake up to the morning light- occasionally by
the disturbing darkness – I take the mirror and ask is today different? Stepping out to spend an entire day (and night,
for the chosen few) with friends, presents a new chapter to observe and learn,
outclassing the traditional way of learning lessons - if life is meant to live
by learning. If you lived alone, you have the mirror. If you lived with people –
chosen by choice or fate - you are obliged to share a word or two, necessitated
by the acts of the previous day. And that’s where it begins. An exercise. An act
of meeting with people titled friends. Until this point, there is neither a
smile nor a frown.
You are, at times, dragged by the force of bond, to wrap
your hands around your love, or a partner. Otherwise, you walk in to a coffee
shop for a cup of steamed bliss. It is usually the former that begins the day, I
am informed. And then hour-by-hour, stories unfold, own and observed. The sight
of misfits walking out of a friend’s house –probably after sleep hours - presents
a story. While it might be usual, there
are revelations that happen through the day. Truth isn’t there to hide, I tell myself. When I pass on the story
to others, there is almost a sense of responsibility (mixed with Déjà Vu and panic) in the other’s face. However,
it is a moment of relief when the other brings it in the open to keep the score
clear. Not just me, even she does
it.
When the Sun is at its brightest best, there is a plan – elaborate
and scheduled – to drown in the beauty of intoxication. The next few hours are
spent in countdown while there are usual sights of food-sharing. You could lend
one ear to tales of marriage, or simply taking the relationship to the next
level, a level that had everything in the forefront already. You could lend the
other ear to miseries, long standing relationships seeing time dead useless
after only a handful of hours – with better ones lasting unto days or longer. Discovery can happen, anytime.
At the fall of the night when the Sun turns bright orange
and the Moon rising with its help, you could be emotion-stricken, sometimes
slapped by what happened to you. But, there is beauty in realizing opened truth
– what has set rises with the setting Sun. I often see me in moist eyes but
buoyed by grit. You would want to grip it hard and not let it go. There is a
niggling worry of inviting drooping shoulders encouraging vengeful attitude. But
the feelings have had their share and the observations
must be dressed to escort tomorrow, battling those niggles.
As I lifted my glass of wine, I could think of more examples characterized as unique and ‘bookmarks’. These are the kind with the power to
make an impact. Some could just be thankless and traitors of trust, marooning a
blossoming something. Some could just
paint a smile and send a fresh lease of life.
I am glad there are Hes and Shes to flip pages called days. They
are an important part of even those unnoticed lessons we learn, gleaning and meaningful.
These might just be the Kindred.
