A Fear Lurking at the Back of the Mind--Chapter 14

Ani seemed dauntless. She recalled the English teacher of the Eighth Class, reading out expressively 'Lochinvar' and in another class, a few weeks later, The Highway Man.

'Did she ever dare in love or life ?"' she asked herself.

'Yes, not once but many a time,' she answered herself.

What was the consequence each time? she asked herself again. In the end, she lost everything. She lost more than she could ever imagine.

Having reached her fiftieth year, she decided not to dare anymore in the years to come.

Covid-19 infodemic scared her. Dead bodies piled up in crematoriums. Friends and aquaintances being hospitalized some dying outside as hospitals run out of beds.

Ani stopped her evening walks. No stepping out of her flat.Whoever called only negative info with rumors as an addendum were shared.

Ani took to an inhuman lifestyle now. She started watching comedy films and cartoons. She started uploading light jokes on social media. Minds need refreshment, she thought, and not ingredients for feThe virus has committed till date the biggest genocide that any human brain could have ever imagined !

 From the Podium --Chapter 12

We all gathered maintaining all official protocol norms. What would be the agenda, we wondered.

One of them looked so fragile, on stage. 

Ani pondered, " Why is she present? Is it a fanatic sense of responsibility or boredom of being at home with no honest syncing with the inmates? "

The flow of words from the stage continued. His willing and thrusted responsibilities have been on the rise. He can delegate some of them. 

" Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown? " crossed Ani's mind. 

" He's putting his best efforts to keep us going," murmured someone in the audience.

Ani was unaware of the unmindfulness that she suddenly had. There were quite a number of heads that she had worked curiously with. Now her submissiveness is a consequence not only because of the unforeseen pandemic but experiences that taught her that ' The Boss is always right and peaceful coexistence became Ani's first and last option for almost a decade.

Ani looked around at the expressive, bland, curious, uninterested, timid but not a single annoyed look on the uplifted countenances . Some, as usual, were busy reading or responding to whatsapp texts or SMSes.

Ani remembered Sr. Geraldine, the most beautiful Principal who would strum and sing a hymn followed by a popular English number . The staff members were lost in her pleasantly expressive instructions, her commitment to the institution and the system. 

" Why did she have to leave the earth so fast? "Ani wondered.

Ani's present master is of a different make. He's like a coconut. With the passage of time, he has mellowed down. She hardly meets him. She observes him. She hears most of his words 

 A Video Call-Incredible --Chapter13

" The whatsapp message was that he would call very soon. Ani found it too difficult to believe. She recalled her near-death escape. Her Blood Pressure reading of 35 /50 scared her doctor friend. Dr. Rimmi gave her sorbitol, probably. She took Ani to her house. Amit did not call his mother even once to find out how she was. In fact, when she recuperated within a week and called him, he seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to see the medical report.

' Did he distrust his mother?' Ani painfully wondered. Or was he under the impact of someone who wanted proof to believe? Is it the same son who wished to call now ?'

After four video calls, they could talk. She did not wish to waste a second even.

" I need to teach you three most important exercises to you, Sonu, " Ani went on very fast and excitedly.

She wanted him to lose the extra flesh around his chin, neck and also keep his brain and the nervous system working normally till his last breath. For Ani, he was still the boy he had breastfed for three and a half years. 

It does not matter at all if he is indifferent or too materialistic or never cared about her because of infinite reasons that are exclusively his very own or if he is close-minded to any argument. She is speaking with him now. She can see him on the virtual platform. She has no expectation from him other than that he stays safe and healthy.

Once she tried explaining her situation to him and every bit of it was genuine. The apathy shown by him made her withdraw. The iceberg of aces and insults remained with her since then.

Ani worked out an equation of life then onwards. Every moment of her life will be filled with joy, work, entertainment, maintaining her health, traveling, making friends smiling at whomever she met to get back a counter smile, and winding up her day with a tired body that will give her a seven to eight hours of sound sleep to get up afresh next morning to start anew.