lights on. I read the newspaper, paying extra attention to each article to keep my
mind busy. An item girl with her picture in a bikini said she wanted to be taken
seriously. I found her request quite reasonable.
My father returned at midnight.
‘You think this is a hotel?’ I said as I opened the door. I hadn’t fought with him
for weeks, so it was about time anyway.
My father didn’t respond.
‘Here are your printouts. I didn’t know how many copies you’d need.’
‘Thanks,’ my father said.
‘Where do you go so late? Your real estate agency work can’t take this long,’ I
said.
‘I am not answerable to you,’ my father said.
‘And that is why we are an officially fucked-up family,’ I said.
I came back to my room. I slammed the door shut as I prepared for another
night with the devils in my head. I promised myself to call Dr Iyer in the morning
and get a prescription for those happy drugs. Fuck the side effects, I couldn’t
take the mind monsters anymore.
I fell semi-asleep at three in the night. Persistent rings woke me up. I checked
my watch; 5 a.m. Who the hell was calling at this hour?
I woke up groggy with a headache already in place. I reached the living room. I
picked up the phone, ready to scream at the milkman or whoever else felt it was
OK to call now.
‘Hello,’ a female voice said.
‘Ananya?’ I said. I knew that voice too well.
‘Thanks sweetie, thank you so much,’ Ananya said. Had she dialed the right
number?
‘What?’ I said, still not fully in my senses.
nora
(Nora)
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