XYZ

45 years ago

On a piece of land in a very salubrious locality a house was built for and under the supervision of the vice-principal of the Polytechnic, he was an engineer himself. Sadly, he never got the chance to live in it because just the day before he and his family were to move in, he slipped in the bathroom , hit his head on the sink and died of head trauma. People said to the widow that the house would bring only bad luck but she with her three children decided to move in. She grew turnip in the backyard and kept her kitchen warm. 

Yet

The Picture of Dorian Gray has been resting at page 44 because there have been distractions. Things needing attention and time. She stands in front of the divan sofa which she best utilises for reading and then glances at the clock. The doorbell rings incessantly- one, two, three, four, and five times. Almost tripping, she rushes to answer the door. Her five year old is grabbing the front of his shorts and scurries to the bathroom, ``Mummy, wee-wee!’’ she laughs and calls out. ``How was school? Did you finish your tiffin?’’ and life goes on.

The nth time optimism

She purchased about a dozen and a half t-shirts, five skirts and two pairs of jeans. She didnt know yet of the itinerary but the trip abroad was imminent. She wanted it to be perfect. She had been planning on losing weight for six years. She must now. Starting from tomorrow. Only today she will binge on a box of mixed fruit pastries from Ribbons and Balloons and the thick creamy strawberry shake at McDonalds. Also, she must not miss the doughnuts with jimmies from MOD.

Ego

She knows its him but just says, ``Hello? ’’ some seven times into the mouthpiece. He remains silent. She waits. He places the receiver back in its cradle.This has been going on for over a month now. He has not shaved in all these days and looks poorly. He doesnt sleep well and is thinking about her all the time. He will make the call again tomorrow, same time,sharp at 9, thats just before she leaves for college. She grabs her satchel and is on her way hoping she will not have to wait forever for his sorry. 

Artsy fartsy Conceptual Art

She always tries hard to figure out the mind of her photographer boyfriend in his work. These are a series in a row, they all look the same to her, like 22 copies of a single photograph but he had insisted they are not. ``Look at the rain drops, the window is a canvas, the rain paints, differently each time.’’ She wonders what he really feels about her being so artistically challenged. She looks around , everyone seems to be enjoying the open air exhibition. She goes to get some beverage at the portico. He comes from behind her, pulls her close and kisses the top of her head.