Living In Oblivion

11

The behavior of people reflects how they have shaped themselves in life. Some react with words, some with silence, some prefer nagging and some ignorance. Each person's behavior is what sets them apart from others, alongside their appearance. What creates a lasting difference is their behavior.

Divit watched the kids with a straight face, feeling a mix of horror and disdain. He had always disliked these little devils, believing they knew nothing but to create havoc, and he preferred his surroundings to be peaceful. Why were they here? And what was this heathen Avanti planning to do now? And before that, why was he holding this old monitor in his hands?

Puffing in a breath, he walked inside to put the monitor on the carpeted floor when he was pulled by his T-shirt, making him stop. The next moment, two packets of vegetables were dropped over the monitor, increasing the load in his arms.

"Uncle, now go," a small boy grinned at him.

Divit didn't know how to react. Should he drop the load on the floor or over the head of this kid who was displaying his broken white pearls right in his face? Or better yet, why not shove it in the face of Avanti? But contradictory to these thoughts, he maintained his straight face and walked inside to drop the things on the floor, while Avanti took other items from the kids and helped him.

When he got up, he was about to snap at her, asking her about why she had brought this junk into his flat, but he stopped when he saw her watching the junk with admirable glee and a smile that even shone in her eyes.

What was this girl made of? What did she think? How did she think? It was beyond his understanding. And now, what was there to be so happy about? Why did she smile over anything and everything? What was wrong with her?

Or maybe, what was wrong with him? Why did her smile irritate him? But he knew it wasn't her smile; it was the shine in her eyes that he lacked in himself. He didn't have the ability to find happiness in these small, weird things, while she did it so smoothly and efficiently. At times like this, it shook him to the core. Could people be so happy in their lives despite all the struggles they faced on a 24-hour basis? Was it really that easy to be happy? Maybe yes, but getting satisfied? Divit knew the answer—clearly, it was a resounding no.

But in Avanti's case, maybe it was different. Maybe she had learned to find little satisfaction in happiness instead of finding happiness in satisfaction, and that made her different from him—very, very different.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he coughed to grab her attention, but she seemed too busy drooling over the rust and junk.

"So?" he asked.

Avanti looked at him, finally coming back to the present. "So?"

"So?" he repeated, this time eyeing the junk and rubbing his palms together, then glancing at the kid from the corner of his eye who was secretly picking up a grape from the fruit basket on the dining table.

"Oh, this," Avanti blinked, now fully engaged in the conversation. "Actually, I found this in the society's garbage. I aspire to work on it and make it workable." Avanti kept explaining, not noticing that Divit wasn't listening, but instead had taken a step back, snatching the grape from the kid before it could go down his throat.

The boy pouted, looking at him innocently, hoping to get the grape back. But Divit knew these tricks of kids all too well. He immediately popped the grape into his mouth and grinned, mocking the kid who, in return, glared at him and made a face.

"It was just one grape," the kid hissed, making a face and folding his arms across his chest.

Divit frowned and snapped in a murmur, "Go to your house and eat, then."

"Such a miser," the boy commented, glaring at him and looking at his friends who were watching the drama keenly.

"Thank you," Divit smiled widely, much to the kid's irritation. He then picked up the fruit basket and walked into the kitchen to put it on top of the fridge.

Divit walked out, completely ignoring the looks the little devils gave him, and approached Avanti, who was also waiting for him now.

"So?" he asked again.

"Now what? I already told you, right?" Avanti frowned.

"Then tell me again. I didn't hear the first time," he replied calmly.

Avanti felt the urge to snap at him and shower him with all the Hindi curse words she knew. How could he not listen to her at first and then, with all the authority, tell her to repeat herself, and that too so calmly and politely that she couldn't even snap. Taking a deep breath and making sure he was listening this time, she started again.

"I want to work on this," she pointed at the junk. "And I found it in the society's garbage when I went to buy groceries. These kids, who were playing nearby, helped me get it up."

Divit nodded.

Now he was sure in his head that this girl was mad. She needed treatment, and she seemed out of touch with reality. She was crazy. Period!

Running the tip of his tongue over his upper lip and giving a tilt to his neck, he murmured, blinking his eyes, "I see."

Avanti controlled the urge to roll her eyes. Was he serious? That's all he had to say? She clenched her fists and sealed her mouth tightly, preventing anything inappropriate from slipping out.

Divit frowned, looking at her. What was she doing? She looked so weird, pressing her lips together so tightly, as if stopping herself from breathing.

"Are you okay?" he asked, unsure.

She nodded, giving a small wave of her head, her lips still sealed shut.

"Okay, so this," he pointed at the junk, "I have no problem with you keeping it in your room. But I would really appreciate it if you don't turn my house into your personal garbage store." Divit tried his best to keep his tone neutral and not to offend her, but little did he know that she was deeply offended. Personal garbage store? Was he serious? That was so rude.

She cut him off, "Excuse me. It's not just your home; it's mine too. Okay, I understand that I moved in here just a day ago and you were kind enough to provide me with shelter on such short notice. But you have to understand that I pay for this house equally as well, and from now on, it's not just yours, it's mine too." She ranted furiously, and Divit wondered if there was a possibility that she would hit him too.

"So stop calling this flat yours and start calling it ours," she yelled, and the kids had a great time watching the drama unfold. "And I'll make sure that our house doesn't turn into my personal garbage store."

When she emphasized the word "garbage" even more, Divit instantly understood what had offended her. He stepped ahead and pressed his hands on her shoulders, calming her down and grabbing her attention.

"Er, I didn't mean it like that," he said softly. "I can be rude, offensive, and blunt at times. Bear with it." He removed his hands from her shoulders and inserted them into his pockets, telling her sincerely. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Everything felt intense until the moment he said 'Bear with it' as if she had no other option. So plain, yet with an attitude as if he didn't care.

Avanti could have been offended again and lectured him on manners and attitude, but she realized that this was not his strong suit—to make people understand and explain his point of view. But still, he tried to do that for her, so she was really glad about it.

"Okay," she smiled.

Divit looked at her in apprehension. Maybe she would throw some more tantrums and take it to her ego, but when she passed him a small, genuine smile, he was slightly taken aback. She was so easygoing and, to his surprise, mature too.

And this time, even he couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his lips.