Episode _2

Despite the frequency, his over-involvement in my life never ceased to amaze me.

‘I just asked him what the issue was and he said he would only talk to you,’ he said. ‘I am

sorry.’

Eshaan was asking for my forgiveness because he could not unscrew what I had screwed up. He was such a darling! Had I been a girl, I would have kissed him and hugged him. Well, maybe not.

‘No, man. It’s fine. I will handle it,’ I said.

‘If there is any problem, just call me. I will be in Kamla Nagar. Okay?’

‘Sonil?’ I asked him.

‘Yes,’ he said, as I saw him blush a little.

Relationships, I tell you, they totally **** up even the sanest of men. He had started dating a girl from Daulat Ram College. It had been a year and he was nuts about her. Eshaan was charming, smiled more than necessary, cared more than necessary, was unnecessarily fair and was immensely likeable. He was cute, like a little brother, like a panda. It often went against him. He was often too cute for any girl.

I wished Sonil would see that, too. I hated her. She thought I was a vain, ill-behaved, rich

brat, and an asshole. She had asked Eshaan to stay away from me, but Eshaan wasn’t that

stupid.

I walked through the corridors, smiling at every face that I came across. I recognized a

few faces and a few of them recognized me. Last year, I had joined college with much

fanfare. I drove big cars to college, argued with seniors and professors alike. Very soon, I

was infamous in the college for my behaviour and unabashed abuse of the power I wielded.

After a few days, people got busy and they promptly forgot about my existence.

Mom’s condition had worsened and her chemotherapy sessions had started. I had to be with her. She had left her job and her condition deteriorated with every passing day.

Doctors had not given her much time. I wanted to spend every waking second with her. She had started losing herself to cancer and it became infuriatingly tough for me. I had always seen her as a strong woman, who brought me up as a single mother—managed work and a worthless son. It was torturous to see her like that—frail, weak, losing weight and hair every day, vomiting and crying. Even behind those smiles she faked, I could see what she was going through .

‘Benoy?’she had said.

‘Yes, Maa.’

‘Take care when I’m not there.’ She had smiled at me.

‘Don’t say that,’ I had said to her, with tears in my eyes. I had never imagined my life without her. ‘You will be fine.’

I was lying to myself. Every single day, I saw her going through the pain. Little by little, I

saw her die. I heard her in agony every day and wished I could take it away. When I used to sit on the cold, hard bench of the hospital and hear her cry, I wished that she would go peacefully rather than go through the excruciating pain every day.

I would look at the life-support equipment that kept her alive and think, It’s just making it

harder for her. It was my mom on the bed. She deserved better. She had done nothing to

deserve this pain.

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