Clueless

Malaysia

Take my hand as I take you to a small apartment nestled in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. If we peek into the house, you will find a twenty two-year-old bald man cooking his breakfast.

He looked up, directly into our eyes as he saw us peeking into his house.

Aarav’s POV:

You might be wondering what I am supposed to be doing here. But honestly, you need to ask this question yourself. This is my place where you all are breaking in but wait… no, you’re just intrigued by knowing my life.

I don’t mind being the center of attention so why not? But my life is incomplete without my sister. And she’s the one who will make your journey memorable, not me.

I am the kind of child that people expect to be all sorted. They have good grades, good manners, and a strong plan for the future.

I hate to say this that my parents are proud of me but in the end, I know how hard it is to carry the weight of everyone’s expectations.

Wait? Am I not being too open with you all?

But it’s okay, Indira, my sister will make sure to give you a tough time.

I envy her honestly. So chill. So clueless about life. But to be very real, my parents are worried for her. As they should be.

Just look at her, she just went to sleep. At a time when everyone wakes up. She doesn’t have her high school these days. As if it would matter. My parents were so strict with me but she was always allowed to take leave. Probably because she never asked them, she told them.

I hear footsteps approaching the kitchen and I know it’s my Mom.

“Aarav,” she said as she glanced at my outfit.

“Hey, Mom. I am going to gym after eating my cereal,” I replied to her unasked question as I hugged her.

See? We make our lives hard for ourselves. Understanding people’s question before they’re even asked. Maybe one day she won’t ask me and let this 22 year old man go on his own but I don’t let her do this.

On the other hand, Indira rarely replies even if you ask her. You might think I am jealous of her. I am. I envy her but here’s the truth: she is not loved the way I am. She has no accomplishments, no goals but sometimes she shocks all of us. I remember once she got 92%… she always get good grades if I think of it now. But then why no one expects same things from her?

The cereal is ready and I need to go to gym. This was my first conversation with you all. I will ask Indira to connect too. But make sure, next time you peek somewhere, take permission.