THE 8 SAVIOURS

SHIFTING TO A NEW CITY

I believe the worse feeling is getting up in the morning and knowing you would be doing the same boring things all over again, get up, go to school, tuitions, study, sleep and repeat. Why can’t life be like videogames new challenges, a life full of adventure, uncertainty and most important get do-overs, the worse part of life is you don’t get do-overs. You take a stupid decision and you are stuck with it, you can rectify it later, but it’s just not the same.

Today I am thrilled, because today I am going to a new place, meet new people, at least something will be different. My father got a job in a new firm in a new city and the firm is generous enough to give its employees free housing. I get off of my flimsy matters in which I was sleeping looking around my vacant room, the walls of my room looked like an albino guy, there were bright rectangular patches where earlier used to be my photo frames, gaming posters and my periodic table. I walk towards the kitchen as my footstep echo in my empty house, I see my mom sighing as she rubs her hand on the marble slab, she turn around and says, “ I am gonna miss this house, the neighbours, everything”, “ which neighbour are you talking about, “the poop aunt”, whose dog poops at our porch every damn day, or “the bitchy aunt” who bitches about you every damn where or the “I want sugar” aunt who I swear never goes to a grocery shop or the “please taste my food aunt” who always gives us heated version of leftovers from previous day” or the “I am so damn rich you are beggars aunt” well I don’t need to explain this one, the title itself is self-explanatory.”

My mom looks at me with a face that seems to say, “she is right who the f**k am I gonna miss”. I walk after talking the glass of water, happy about making her aware that there is nothing to miss about the neighbours. After I brush my teeth, wash my face and change into fresh clothes, I walk back to my room take my backpack look at my room for the last time, I like new things but that doesn’t mean I will not miss my home, I have lived here for 16 years, it deserves a few tears.

I walk out of the house, the landlord is standing outside with my father and mother, my father locks the main door and my whispers, “who are you going to miss?” the person I am gonna is miss is Akash, he is the son of Mrs. Bitchy, but he is her polar opposite, he is sweet and kind, stays a bit aloof but that’s okay. He has always helped me with my maths in school, he is genius by the way and once when I left my lunch at home, he gave me his lunch to eat. I still remember the birthday gift he gave me, after everybody left the party and he gave me a small keychain of DP-28 (my favourite pub-g gun) with a happy birthday note written in binary. My thoughts are interrupted when my mother touches my shoulder, “well…answer me who are you gonna miss?”

“No one” I reply plainly.

I am definitely gonna miss him but thinking or admitting about it, will make me wanna stay, but the change it’s inevitable, I will have to go what’s the point in being sad about something you know is going to happen anyway.

My father has always taught me if you stay in the same place you become a pond, you are prone to becoming stagnant, unlike a free-flowing river. It’s my chance to become a river and I am not gonna start the journey with sad and regretful thoughts.

I sit in the car and I look for the last time at Akash’s room, he is sitting in his study table probably solving maths, yes, I didn’t tell him I was leaving today, don’t wanna feel sad and all bullshit I just said. My father revs the engine and I see him moving swiftly towards his window, our eyes lock and he mouths I am gonna miss you Avi, my eyes betray me as tears flow down my cheek, and maybe I imagined it but his eyes were filled with tears as well. The last thing I saw was a blurry image of him waving a goodbye as the car zoomed past his house. I kept crying till the building running outside my window change into forests and fields. I touch my keychain and close my eyes, “I will miss you too Akash, I will miss you too”.