We are the quintessential sets of adults living in the world of complete falsity of depression and anxiety. Both of them stabbing our hearts in and out, day and night in the form of mobile addiction, whatsapp conversations, taking selfies and receiving likes, comments and vice-versa along with social media dare to spend our time too quickly. In the adult world of prejudice and the right to have nothing other than, owning feelings and living independently, our dominance has crossed its limits. We failed in a miserable way to look at once into the souls of the children who live next to us.
So the story goes like, there lived a boy named Teddy resident of the same flat where I lived before but different floor. He was a joyful, playful and highly active kid of only 6 years old. his schedules goes like these- wake up , get ready , go to school, study, play with friends , return , take rest , do tuitions, study , dance, swimming along with internet browsing at fixed time , finally ,hitting the sack. All of a sudden, everything went into a blunder when the monster named COVID-19 knocked the door of each house. Consequently, the people forced to lock themselves up, not for a few days but for more than a year now. Online classes entered the house of every student and extracurricular activities came to a halt. Quarantine became the topsy -turvy of every household along with the nightmare for every individual.
The new schedule goes for teddy like these-wake up, attend online classes wearing school shirt only, have breakfast, lunch, dinner at fixed schedules and play video games always. Enthusiasm lost its way like the ray of sunlight from a very faraway place. The presence of those rays is almost equal to its absence leaving an unfamiliar sadness on his faces.
Meanwhile, Teddy’s mother is a single mother who is working hard to raise her son without any help. According to many of our neighbors, she is an epitome of a person who lives on her own term and conditions. She never bothered about what the world said to her. She fought them daily leaving no stones turned to raise her son to perfection. Her only drawback is her stubbornness along with the lack of patience because of which people around her end up suffering. Teddy would daily hop up and down the bed of his house making his way to the living room in a merry go round fashion around the dining table attached with it. Teddy would also end up screaming and hopping up and down without any pause until he would end up panting with red sweaty face on the sofa. Sometimes Teddy will watch cartoons but his preference is always mythological shows. He has fascination regarding the Hindu god and goddesses; the habit he got while staying with his grandmother.
“Why lord Krishna didn’t marry Radha?”
“Why lord Shiva survived the ingestion of the poison which normally will kill a human being?”
“Did lord Ganesha and Hanuman truly exist despite having the faces of elephant and monkey respectively?”
His mother would answer the initial sets of questions asked by him; the ones she knew otherwise she would just answer something just to satisfy his curiosity. There were also times where she was busy with her work over her laptop and Teddy would turn up to her shaking her hands to grab her attention with his usual sets of questions .Multitasking has been one of her attributes especially on her working hours all she has done recklessly is handing him a mobile phone.
The internet connection has turned out to be blessing. It opened a new set of adventure for him mostly occupying his mind with new games, songs, avenger series and new genres of music, which he still could not understand properly. All he could do is dance to deviate himself naturally.
“Mom I’m getting bored.” said Teddy every time he got bored from the phrase of internet “I want to go and play with friends.”
“I can understand, Ted but… this COVID-19 is affecting us so much. Many people are dying daily, you know. “, said his mother taking some time to think how to increase her sons’ resilience about the upcoming times “ Do you want yourself to lock up in a room alone with no one to accompany you for 14 days and die.”
This statement itself would scare Teddy and he would often end up crying under his mothers’ arm. The essence remained for only a few moments and vanished whenever he saw me coming to his flat for giving them the food that my mother cooked. Teddy would hug me and plant my cheeks with kisses. He would be delighted to have something different from his daily schedules. He would show every new thing, he explored from the internet. He always treats me as if I am his elder sister. Madly, Teddy would run in every corner of the house and like a magnet, he would come back to me, wrapping me around his small tender arms.
“You are giving me too tight a hug, Teddy.”, said I impatiently as I scroll my phone while bearing the choking arms around my neck.
“I love you the most out of everybody in the world”, replied Teddy screaming as his face is directing towards me with eyes shining bright with happiness on his face.
I do nothing other than smiling right but something does not go well with me. I prefer being alone most of the time in the company of my books, music and household chores .Silence has become my best friend, any sound may affect my daily comfort zones. Then also, in Teddy’s case I have to take a bit of consideration tolerating everything he does with me. I will take part in his daily life as sunshine to light up his world for the temporary period. However, I could not bear for longer than necessary. Apart from him, Emma has been a great source of inspiration for me. Despite being a fighter, she is someone who could solve all my problems away at once. This time, it is too serious, I excused from my parents under the pretense of cooking a wonderful new recipe and making it taste to her.
“Isn’t he too naughty?”
“Yes, he is. Last day he gave an excuse to his teacher that I died that’s why he couldn’t do his homework properly.”
I started to laugh hiding my picture perfect smile with my palms. She tasted the food and absolutely loved the flavors present in them giving me an advice to add a slightly more chili powder and salt to enhance the flavors present in the new chicken curry recipe cooked by me.
“How’s everything going on in your life?”
“Going great as usual”, replied by me to her question almost jumping off the sofa, hardly able to believe at her intuition.
“You remember the guy I dated …for past 1 year.”
“Yes”
“I broke up with him and broke all my contacts with him over social media”
“Oh! Dear! It is such sad news. What happened?”
“He was dating another girl, other than me”, said I. my face turned down with sadness and tears about to show. Teddy hugged me again. He became a sympathetic brother, checking my heartbeat with plastic stethoscope. Now he is aspiring to be the doctor his family planted the seed of, hoping someday he would remove the tears from my eyes. He will also kill the monster that was responsible for it with the plastic sword gifted on his birthday by me. He sat beside me trying to make me laugh with all sorts of funny things, often tickling me to make me happy. Emma tried to silence him but it was of no use. Both Emma and I have distracted by Teddy’s huge world of joy that changed the entire ambience of the room. Thereafter except laughter and silly questions to answer, nothing remained.
“You are a strong girl. You’ll soon be over it and have the perfect prince-charming as your smile”, said Emma while holding my hands between hers, consolidating me. After that, I left the place with joy. Teddy as usual got upset to return to his normal life. His face showed a huge disappointment and through his specs, his eyes told ‘Please do visit us soon. I need somebody to play.’
(The above story has been published in the anthology, The Perfect Chaos by The Writer Order in 2022)
Comments