Shape of the Sun

Hope

The next afternoon

Rajkumar clicked his tongue with every tick-tock of the clock.

Every passing second that he was away felt like an hour, as Papaji had said over the phone earlier. He knew that his aunt whom he and Priyanka had come to visit would have received a heavy scolding.

But if he was being honest, it wasn't all that bad. He had met good people in such a short span.

Rajkumar turned away from the bedside table and the clock on it with as much will as humanly possible, so that he faced the other way, head still pressed to the pillow, body seeking the most comfort. His slender frame finally came to a still on the bed when he found the right spot. It was in the center of his left pillow, soft just like Amma's lap. She had been the one crying the most when he called from Aunt Patralekha's phone. Aunt Patralekha, the ticketing lady.

Rajkumar had felt distressed, an emotion that only increased when Papaji took the phone and calmly said that he was glad he was alright after a slight pause. His voice was muted, lower bass than usual, and Rajkumar could tell that he had been crying. They had spoken a bit more before he requested to talk to Aunt Patralekha so he could thank her and solicit her help.

It was upsetting to know that his family was going through so much for him. Rajkumar rolled on the bed, increasingly fussy at the thought. All this was happening because of that one trip to the restroom. His parents had cried and his aunt was scolded - for no fault of theirs.

He could have held it, even for a little bit. He should have sat still and not made a fuss. He stopped rolling. He shouldn't make fusses anymore. They were a bad habit.

Rajkumar could only imagine how upset Priyanka would be. She'd be sad that he wasn't there even though she had always claimed that she wouldn't.

Well, he hoped that she'd be sad.

He hoped that she wouldn't choose Papaji's annoying other son over him and not want him to be her brother anymore in his absence. It made him a bit fidgety, to be honest.

He hoped that she'd listen when he told her that he only wanted to play with the miniature Eiffel Tower for a little bit, that he did not mean not to give her and then have Papaji punish her.

He hoped that she'd be excited to hear about Eloise, his nice but fake French chaperone, and the interesting stories that she told him.

With these many hopes, Rajkumar drifted off to sleep.