Lover Is A Day

Chapter 2

2016, Delhi

‘Men shouldn’t cry’, my dad said, what a simple thing to say, what a difficult thing to do. While my mother got to lock herself in a room, and throw tantrums like she wouldn’t open the door, or eat anything.
I have to stand here, and be answerable.
I couldn’t meet his eyes, I never could. He had called me in to talk. The sombre atmosphere and his quiet demeanor were aggravating. Unlike my mother he never voiced his opinions or said anything. So it was hard to tell what he was thinking. After all that happened, he just sat there, emotionless, but never the less disappointed.
‘You have really hurt your mother’, he began, calmly.
I wished that he would have just been aggressive, so I could be angry.
But instead I was just disappointed, with myself. For being.
I tightened my fist to hold myself. I can't do this. I dashed out of his study room, and down the stairs and out the door.
“Where are you going?”, “Raj!” He stood up from his chair. His words echoed in my ears.
Tears starting flowing; I didn’t bother to wipe them. You know what’s more embarrassing than crying infront of others? wiping those tears infront of them.
I didn’t realize how far I had come. I didn’t even realize that I had bumped into many people. My tears had dried. Thankfully this area of the town wasn’t bustling with people; so, no one could see my pitiful state. I stopped when I came across an old park. For some reason I felt like sitting on the bench, I wasn’t even tired. Just disappointed.
The park was lifeless, in an unnoticeable part of the town with little to no infrastructure., just a rusted slide and broken down play area. The plants had dried out. I looked at the sky, it was cloudy. I held my head in my hands ‘I messed up’. Usually in a situation like this… I would be with her; she wouldn’t ask many questions but she would understand. But now im all alone.
I needed one right now, I took out a cigarette and lighter. Just as I was about to light it-
A voice startled me. I looked up. ‘You dropped this’. I touched my pocket to check and I had indeed lost my phone. ‘Thanks’, I said without looking at the stranger.
I lit the cigarette.
He sat next to me. I unlocked my mobile and I had 1 missed call from Dad. I sighed. ‘It was ringing’, he said.
‘Im sorry... you had to go through all this trouble’, I said. And looked at him. ‘It’s okay’ he said and smiled a little. He was almost the same age as me.
I took a deep smoke in.
He had glasses and wore a dark red pant, white button up shirt with a tie and id card. He might be a student. His thin glasses sat neatly on the deep bridge of his nose. He had sharp features and neatly combed hair. Why am I noticing all this…?
And a deep smoke out.

Since he sat next to me, and we weren’t speaking, it only made sense that I offered him cigarette. He refused.
‘I don’t smoke’, he said and got up. He touched his pockets as to find something but stopped. ‘By the way, do you know where BVS school is?’

‘I’ll show you’, I got up. He followed me to return my phone, it only makes sense that I help him. I threw the cigarette behind.
Autumn was around the corner; leaves had started to fall off. Yet the roads on the streets were still green. It was afternoon but sun wasn’t burning up. Not many people were out at this time. I like it like this. Being alone, by myself and cloudy skies. Yet here I am with a stranger.
We walked through a residential neighborhood, since this was a short cut. Plus it was quiet.
‘So, you live around here?’, he asked
‘Uh… huh, yes’
'...'
‘You’re a student?’, I asked, we were walking silently, and it was awkward.
‘Sorry…?’ he didn’t hear me; he was too busy looking over the fences of the bungalows.
‘Nothing’, I shook my head. He’s wearing a school uniform, and is asking me the location of a school. Ofcourse he is a student. Im an idiot. 
‘I had some work here, that’s why I came’ he said ‘what about you? Are you in college?’
‘junior college… 12th’, I said. I think I cannot speak properly; I only blurt out words at a time.
‘That means we’re the same age’, he said.
I looked at him, he was carefully reading the nameplates of the old bungalows. He’s weird.
‘Where are you from?’, I asked
‘Mumbai’, he said, looking at me.
‘I see’, I looked away
‘This area is nice’, he said ‘not crowded and peaceful’

Some 30 minutes of awkward interactions later, we reached that school. I never came down to this part of the town. And the gates were closed.
I looked at him. He took out a mobile from his backpack.
So, he had a mobile all along!?
‘Wait… you had a mobile?’, I asked
‘Yes’, he said
‘Then why did you ask me? You could have used GPS’
‘I don’t have internet’ he showed me his screen and pointed towards the signal icon.
‘oh’ I said ‘but now what are you going to do? The school is closed’
‘I know. I have already completed the work that I had here, in the morning’, he calmly said ‘It's 4:30 now I still have some time before the bus arrives, wanna grab something to eat?’
What the hell is wrong with this guy.
Heck I wasted my time. Not that I had anything better to do.
‘No, I’ll go home now...’, I said, irritated
‘Okay then, thanks for walking with me’
I checked my phone; 4 missed calls. I sighed.
‘Fine let’s go’, I said. He smiled.