three moments

anger

At 8 PM, I started a movie, but it wasn't enjoyable, so I decided to read a bit. Even after studying for a while, I wasn't having fun. I went to the store and realized I had only 30 rupees left. So, I grabbed 4 packets of 5-rupee moong dal and 2 bags of chips. Back home, while munching on snacks, I began watching a mini web series on YouTube.

Suddenly, I received a message from Govardhan asking what I was up to.

I replied, "I'm watching a mini web series."

"Which one?"

"Focus on your work, now how did I come to your mind?"

"Oh, nothing, bro. It's Rimjhim..."

"Yeah, what happened with her?"

"Oh, nothing, yaar. There was a little online misunderstanding."

"Online misunderstanding? What's that?"

"Like, there was some disagreement on WhatsApp."

"I see... how did it happen?"

"Well, I was online for an hour, and she noticed it. So, she got upset. Now tell me, why did she suddenly start checking my last seen? If she wanted to betray me, why didn't I use normal WhatsApp? After all, there's GB WhatsApp, right?"

"Yeah, logically your point makes sense, but, man, are you doubting me?"

"Come on, bro, what are you talking about?"

"I see... Do you watch horror movies?"

"No, bro, but why?"

"I watched a horror movie, man. It was amazing, lifted my spirits. I hadn't watched a movie in a long time."

"What's the story line?"

"Well, the story is about a girl sitting alone at home watching TV. Suddenly, the power goes out, but she's not scared. She takes out her phone and starts chatting with her friends. Then, she hears a dog barking and sees lightning, but she's still not scared. Feeling thirsty, she goes to the freezer for water, but when she opens it... lava comes out! Hot steam, a terrible smell. She screams, and as she rushes out, she sees her reflection on the door, faints."

"Wow... What happened next?"

"Come on, you want me to give away the whole movie?"

"Fine... Alright, let me finish my web series."

While watching the web series, suddenly, the power at my home went out too. Dogs were barking, but unlike the dog in the movie, they had been barking since the power cut. I started getting a bit nervous thinking about that scoundrel's storyline. So, I thought, this might happen to me too. Therefore, I straight away grabbed my scooter keys, used my phone's flashlight, locked the house, and headed to my uncle's house.

Upon reaching my uncle's house, Rajesh exclaimed, "Hey, what took you so long?"

With a chuckle, I responded, "Oh..."

Rajesh gestured to Vicky as he looked at me, and then the three of us headed to the store. As we entered, they quickly picked up some snacks. After spending about an hour wandering around, we returned home. There, all the relatives were engaged in conversations while seated. I found a spot in Rajesh's room and began using my phone. Despite Rajesh and Vicky's efforts to persuade me to join the family, I refrained. When dinner was ready, I joined everyone at the table.

Aunt was the first to tease, "Oh, Rajat, why are you blushing so much at your uncle's house?"

My mother added, "Oh... well, dear sister-in-law, don't say that. He behaves the same at home too."

Aunt chuckled and said, "Son, if you act this shy even at your in-laws' place, what will become of you? There, all the relatives will be hanging around you."

I had no intention of speaking up, so I just gave a slight smile and started eating.

Suddenly, my cousin Priya remarked, "Oh no, Mom, everything changes after marriage."

Everyone laughed upon hearing her words. I chose not to respond. While others engaged in various conversations during the meal, I quietly ate, then quickly retreated to Rajesh's room to use my phone. Out of the blue, my older maternal cousin Satya approached me and said that Uncle wanted to talk to me. (My older maternal uncle was a motivational speaker, while the uncle whose house we were dining at was a farmer. They both lived separately.) I walked over to him, and he asked, "How are you?"

"I'm good."

"What are you studying now?"

"I'm pursuing B.Sc."

"I see... What are your plans for the future?"

I started to feel irritated by this question, as it seemed everyone asked the same thing: "What will you do? What will you become?"

With a smile, I responded, "I'll see what I can do."

He continued, "Your mother mentioned you had applied for some SSC exams, but you didn't take the exams—why?"

"Because... I didn't feel like it."

"Rajat, how long will you keep this up? Your parents have given you so much freedom, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

I remained silent.

"When you insisted on taking science, they supported you. Now, after studying science, you're saying you don't know what you want to do—think about it. What about your brother? Your parents are getting older, think about them—how long will you continue this?"

I started to feel a bit angry, because I was tired of such advice. So, without giving much thought to his age, I retorted, "Did you do it? Did you consider your parents' or your in-laws' thoughts? I didn't see you caring about your grandparents when you were with them. Don't you have a living grandmother? What do you think about her? Yes? A few days ago, Mami slapped Nani, and Mousi hit her with a plate. What about that? Did you do anything? Granted, your two sisters live nearby, but does that mean you treat them like servants? You're a motivational speaker, you give knowledge to the world—can't you make the right decision within your own home? Can't you? I know, I've been observing since childhood—you first see to yourself, then tell me."

I stormed away, driven by anger, without thinking about why I had come to my uncle's house. It was late, around 11:30 PM. No one knew why I had left, not even my uncle, who lived there with his wife. No one knew why I was coming home at this hour. Maybe I felt guilty that my words came out in anger, which perhaps I shouldn't have said. Later, as I approached my uncle's house, I turned off my phone, fearing that if Papa called, I would not be able to explain why I had gone. As it turned out, he arrived shortly after I had returned. He came to my room, but I remained silent and walked away to Rajesh's room, where I started using my phone again. The next morning, my mother arrived as well...