Expectedly Unexpected- A Novel

Part 2

A huge puff of smoke whisked out of his cigarette and vanished into the inky black sky. Aakash inhaled the nicotine again, streaming through his senses, calming his mind.

"Aakash," Mohit nudged for the lighter.

Aakash lit the cigarette dangling from his mouth and his friend puffed too.

The birthday party for Aakash had been arranged on the hostel rooftop. Though the sky had considerably cleared since the evening, to avoid rain pouring water over their plans, chairs and mattresses were stacked under the huge tin shed on the roof. Built initially to store spare material and furniture, the shed now served as the hangout spot for the teenage lads of the hostel.

There was plenty of alcohol stacked around, well plenty as per schoolgoer standards- bottles of cheap liquor- mainly Beer and some Whiskey, paired with colas and juices. Cigarettes were also in abundance. The only reminders of the lively party that began at ten in the night were the packets of wafers strewn about, pieces of pineapple cake splattered on the ground that had been used to smear Aakash's face, peanuts and spicy snacks, and not to mention the throbbing pain in Aakash's backside when he'd been strung and received sixteen strong kicks on his ass to mark his birthday- an odd hostel tradition practiced religiously across dormitories in India.

It wasn't common for teens this young to be habituated with alcohol and smoking in the country, and it could be said so for most of the kids their age, but Aakash had long found a companion in these vices. A year ago, in an excursion to Goa with his friends, the group had cautiously tried wine, then beer, and before they could know they'd started drinking occasionally. As for cigarettes, it had been a few months ago when a senior had sneaked them in and they'd all tried it one by one. The first time was horrible and had Aakash coughing for the rest of the night. But soon, he tried another with the proper technique of inhaling and exhaling the fumes. And then he practiced with another and soon enough, he had become an occasional smoker as well. And it was fine as long as it remained occasional, thought Aakash. The lack of adult supervision or parental restrictions had made the group a tad too adventurous and they felt like they'd grown up faster.

It wasn't that they hadn't been caught. Aakash's mother had been furious when she found her son was being suspended as he was caught smoking, that too inside the school premises. For a brief, fleeting moment, hope surged inside Aakash that maybe she'd see how he was ruining himself and would take him home. And when she called him, mind called not visited, about a party not unlike the present one, Aakash ate up the words of apology he'd almost recited inside his head when he heard that his mother had nothing special to say- no remorse, no affection, no concern about him- all that he heard was his step-father's anger, his unruly antics, him bringing a bad name to their family, and her regret that she gave birth to a child like him. Aakash had listened half-heartedly, half-bored, as his mother went on and on about how Aakash's principal had called him a ruffian and completely reckless and how his moral compass was flung in the opposite direction and how his father had been shamed in front of his clients when he got the call from the principal in the middle of an important meeting. At that, Aakash's ears had perked up and he'd snapped.

"He's not my father. He's your husband. And I'd prefer you keep it that way."

And that, much to his immense satisfaction had rendered his mother speechless. In hindsight, by now, Aakash wasn't even sure if he'd like it if his mother took him back home. He couldn't bear to see that man and the family who stole his mother from him, much less than live with them. Yet, even though he denied it, however misbehaved and obnoxious that he was, he was still a sixteen year old kid, and deep down one who still craved for his mother's attention, even if it meant she called to scold him. At least she cared this much. And like every other teenager, Aakash responded the way he knew how to- with resentment.