songs unraveling this mind
I often walk to school. They say I am getting fat. I think having 37 kg ’s in eighth grade is not fat. In my school uniform with a bag maybe over 20 kg and a cloth basket, I walk out of my house.
It’s sunny today. They just keep the record of weather. They say it’s going to be sunny all day. I don’t believe it. I have great hindsight.
When it’s sunny, it rains.
When it rains, it’s damn sunny.
My black school shoes watch for any puddle of water and step five feet away from it. Mom has just washed my white socks yesterday. She is especially aware of them.
My glasses need a cleanup, I considered.
Those black-rimmed glasses were in my hands and were getting cleaned by a soft cloth pulled out of the case. There are two rights and one left turn till school. I passed all the lanes in a periodic manner as I always do.
But today,
When I was passing through the last turn, I heard the voice of the piano.
It was a silent, happy melody. I chased that voice. It was coming from a house in the third block of the left lane. I went near it. I sat by the fence. I could still hear it. It was clear still. Sometimes there were words in a language not of my knowledge.
My digital watch’s alarm went off.
“holy shit” I reached for the snooze and deleted the alarm.
The curtain of the window on the second floor opened with a snap. Somebody peeked out.
What? How would I know it?
I was already running.
I ran and reached school. I was late. I have to give a shitty speech as a punishment on ‘time is money.’ By shitty, I meant when I am most annoyed and ended up making a mess and shitty jokes. I went home, did some shitty homework and went to sleep.
I couldn’t sleep. It was morning again and again and again. I went to the house. I heard about music again. I went there a bit early. My hairs were totally messed. I was there sitting by the fence. The music was lulling me. It was so beautiful that I slept there.
Until someone threw water on me.
“what the hell?” I shouted.
My eyes adjusted the light and a boy maybe my age was standing there smiling slightly without showing
Teeth. I don’t want to see them anyway.
“hi”, he said.
“yeah, hi” I replied not sure what to do.
I shrugged and motioned to run from here.
“wait,” he said in a hurry.
He had midnight black hairs like everyone else and black eyes like everyone else.
There was nothing specifically different about him.
“why were you running all the time? Whenever I would be by the window, you would be running.
Do you hate my music?”
Hate…..is he crazy?
“no, it’s great. I slept today. Didn’t you see it? Do you not go to any school?”
“I am being homeschooled. I just moved in here a couple of months ago” he said with a bit
Regret in his voice.
“you shouldn’t throw water to wake someone up, you know,” I said.
He shrugged and finally laughed out loud. He got silent and we stayed there for a moment.
“I don’t have many friends” he finally said. “would you be my friend?”
I was cleaning my wet shirt with a napkin he offered. I laughed and I put my hands in my hairs to give them a human look.
“why not?” I said.
“Christopher” he offered and extended his hand.
“Leslie” I shook his hand with bright smile.
It started to rain. What are the chances? It rains when it doesn’t have to.
He offered me his house and ran the porch where he could keep himself from getting wet.
“come in. you will be wet” he said.
Dumb ass.
“I am already wet,” I said. He laughed. “I am sorry,” he said.
Jackass
“come on…it’s okay”
“will you come tomorrow?”
“why not?”
He smiled again showing his teeth this time.
Shit! my digital watch. I reached for it and slide it in my bag.
My vision was getting blurry due to drops on my glasses. When I removed them, it was still blurry.
I started to walk slowly. He didn’t follow or call. He just stood there waiting for me to come again.
Later I got to know he had allergies and he was not allowed out neither I was allowed in. I would just walk by the school and sit by the fence again. I would hear his piano, sadder each day. I would be there every day and wave him by the window.
He moved out again six months later.
There was no piano or violin playing but I would be there each day waiting by the fence for the music to play or the curtains to move. They didn’t move often.
I don’t care if it’s a ghost but I still wish those curtains to move or the piano to play. I knew deep inside even his ghost would never hurt me than his absence is.
Sometimes we are too young to experience somethings, aren’t we?
