The Wrong Number

43

Ruhan was lounging on the sofa in his basement when he heard his mother click clacking down the stairs in her fancy sandals. "Roona," she cooed, "Are you down here?"

"Yes, mumma," he said, sighing. His mother never came down to the basement unless she really needed him to do something, and he had a feeling this time wasn't very different. She walked to the sofa he was sprawled on and when he didn't make any indication of making any room on it for her, she sat on the chair next to it.

She gave him a lip-glossy smile, which made her wrinkles look even deeper. She was pretty young, he figured, for a mother of an eighteen year old, but her way of life had made her look far beyond her age. Ruhan couldn't remember when his mother had begun wearing make-up all the time, even at home in the hopes that somebody might show up. He had almost forgotten what her she looked like before the Botox made her eyes look like little slits. He supposed she had her reasons for doing so. She was a timid lady, and wasn't someone he would have associated with the kind of crowd his father entertained, and didn't have many friends. He felt quite sorry for her having to put up with a husband like hers. Then again, he supposed she had her reasons for doing that too.

She cleared her throat and asked,"How's school?"

Ruhan raised his eyebrows at her. "You've never asked me about school before." She laughed uneasily and said, "Can't a mother ask about her son's life without being antagonized?" He pulled himself up with a grunt so he was sitting up straight. "Okay, what do you want to know?" he asked, resting his elbows on his knees. His mother crossed one leg over the other and smiled at him. "How are your friends?"

Ruhan shrugged and said, "They're fine, I guess." She nodded, saying, "Good, good. Do you have any girlfriends? Anybody you might want to bring over?"

Ruhan did a double take. "What?" he asked, "N-no, I don't have any girlfriends, mumma why are you asking me this?"

The lower lip of her smile trembled. "I just found a bracelet in the bathroom near the kitchen," she said, trying to sound nonchalant and failing, "And it wasn't mine and if you haven't had any lady friend home, so that means," she let out a sudden sob, scaring Ruhan out of his wits for a seconds, "your father has someone," she cried into her hands, "Someone else!"

Ruhan stared at her for a minute, dumbstruck by her sudden outburst. Slowly, he felt his fingers begin to twitch. "M-mumma, wait," he said, extending his hand out to her, "I had a friend over a few days ago and she must have left it there. I don't think papa's doing anything." She shut her eyes and cried silently into the palm of her hand and he got up to sit on the arm of the chair. "Mumma, don't cry," he murmured, rubbing her back. "He's so cruel," she sobbed through clenched teeth, "I hate him so much."

Ruhan pursed his lips. This wasn't the first time she'd said something like this. But he knew she didn't mean it. She never did. And that made it harder to feel sorry for her.

~~~~~

Ruhan Das: Hey I need to ask you something

Alankrita Sundar: ask away

Ruhan Das: did you leave your bracelet in my bathroom when you came over by any chance? My mother found one.

Alankrita Sundar: idk maybe. can you describe it?

Ruhan Das: It's blue and is made of shells

Alankrita: Nope. I don't own anything like it.

Ruhan Das:thanks

Alankrita Sundar: Anytime

Ruhan clenched his teeth together, his eyes slightly unfocused from the computer screen. He considered telling his mother, but dismissed it quickly. No, this would just make her cry, and she wouldn't do anything to confront him. And she would only defend him if Ruhan confronted him himself. He exhaled forcefully through his nose and shut his laptop, closing his eyes. He pinched the skin between his eyebrows in an attempt to calm down. He just had to pretend like none of this had happened. He was used to it by now, anyway.

*****