CHAPTER 1
Around 8:00 PM
One usual night, somewhere in Bangalore.
I don't want to live...Ammmaaa! 😭 😭😭😭 .
Madhumita entered the melodramatic text and pressed 'Send'.Being one of the most frequently used lines, she had it saved on her phone dictionary, thus saving herself the trouble of typing. Thanks to technology, the entire process of her moan traveling all the way to Chicago , Harshit at the other end receiving it,reading it and finally smirking at it took less than 5 seconds.
Cool realization. Go ahead ! I would like to know today's reason though.
He waited for the drama to continue, sipping the hot drink from his mug. Along with this 'Ms.Bro' of his, sarcasm and masala chai too are his can't-live-withouts.
After an hour long shower, roomie madam got out of the washroom. When I finally entered with a bursting bladder, I find a huge ugly lizard on the wall right next to the commode. I can't handle this life anymore. As if I did not have other reasons to worry. Help me loser! 😡
Help? Okay! See you're as tall as the ceiling so hanging yourself won't work. You live on the first floor so even jumping off balcony is useless. How about some Mortein rat kill with your favorite Idiyappam for dinner?
You shut the hell up !😡 I'm not dying. Why should I, when an unemotional pig like you is alive? Bye. And yeah, I hate you. 😡
Thank you!😉 A smile crossed his face. How much he missed getting kicked by her!
Debugging the super long program code, as a part of project simulation has exhausted all the patience Madhumita ever had. She is someone who had ended up hating computers and had run away from them. The impending thesis submission is making her restless. Bangalore traffic gets worse day after day. The professor continues to be impossible. A million things she feels but is unable to voice , are making her insides churn. And she hasn't visited home in 8 months.
At the end of all this, she at least deserved a washroom that did not house a lizard, the biggest of her fears.
But no. The lizard decided to stay. The crazy human who unfortunately happened to be her best friend wouldn't send her a single sweet or comforting message. And his reason is simple.
"You are the 'Madhu' among the two of us. You be sweet. Harshit can only utter harsh words!"
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" Thanks for letting me use your washroom, Poonam. I hope they fix our flush soon! "
Yeah, right!
" Mention not re! Arre Madhu, Sayali had asked me to remind you of registration once again. She's at a friends place tonight. Bye ! "
Madhumita uttered to herself as she said bye and walked away.
" Of course, I know your room mate isn't here. That's why I stepped into your room."
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Around 11:45 PM
"Tonight is the night. If I don't finish the thesis tonight, I'll change my name to Harshit! "
She repeated for the tenth consecutive night and continued documenting, with strong determination.However, three lines of thesis and three episodes of Sherlock (TV series) later, she decided to lie down and relax a bit.
I have to decide upon the registration today. Hiding from Sayali really doesn't help! Madhumita thought.
In spite of the uncertainties involved,post graduation in Astronomy was something she chose on her own, leaving behind an IT job she had begun to loathe. Especially after Harshit left to US on his long term onsite assignment, she found her workplace all the more suffocating. Madhumita loved this subject to the core. Right from childhood,the sky fascinated her.She wanted to know the secrets of the outer space. And hence, Astronomy. But now, it's not exactly turning out to be the smooth ride she thought it would be. Forget smooth, it wasn't fair. Favoritism and internal politics are making her wonder if the daring plunge she took was a right decision at all.
Somehow she managed to balance everything and hold on. But of late, the monotony of her life was so bad that even her Holy Grails : a pack of tapioca chips or Oreo, a romantic chapter of her favorite fan fiction on IF, or even episodes of Sherlock weren't easing her frustration a bit. And not to forget the weird people of her life who annoyed her.
However , these weird people mattered a lot to her. In fact she had a melting heart for everyone. In Harshit's words, 'If someone climbed a mountain to kill her, she would first sympathize with him for his trouble of having climbed the hill'
All of a sudden, she came out of her thoughts and picked her phone up, for the usual missed call routine to alert Harsh. In seconds she received his message.
What now? 😕
What should I do with the camp da? At one instant I feel I can use up my entire stipend for it. But next moment I feel scared.What will I do for a living if I don't get a job?
Don't miss the camp. You can sell your kidney if you don't get a job.
But Sayali is coming too. She is not easy. She is eating my head to pay and complete my registration now. I mean, she is fine , it's good to have a known person. But she will keep talking about guys and bore me to death.
Are you jealous that you don't have cool guys to talk of? Show her my shirtless pics from Miami holiday da!
You @&#$ ... 😡😡😡
Ok ok, relax! 😃 Why do you even bother about the kinds of people?? Your aim is to have fun, get adventurous. So just do it! Plus meeting different kinds of people is fun man. An experience! Do not miss the camp. Now you at least have the money and circumstances.
Who knows, this time next year you might be busy cooking Puliyodharai for some Ambi your Dad got you married to!
F*** YOUU! Don't text ever again, please!
Harsh went back to his computer, chuckling.
Tossing her phone away in anger,she opened her sleeping laptop in a jiffy, went to the tab that was open for over a week now, and completed the payment. YES! She is now an officially registered 'Royal Rajasthan Adventure Camper'. A smile of accomplishment adorned her face.
"After all why would I let him win this argument. Loser thinks I'm boring! I'll even give up my life to prove him wrong!
BUT WAIT! What if the toilets in the camp have lizards? And I just made the payment! "
I don't want to live... Ammmaaa! 😭😭😭
