The Man in the Grey Suit

Chapter II

I forage through the giant mess that is my room, hoping to stumble upon the ten-year-old train ticket.

These men in grey suits are a real nuisance. Only now do I realise this in spite of having spent all my life knowing about them. They carry guns to intimidate people. Nobody else even knows how a gun works. And they wear masks that conceal their faces and even alter their voices. Sparkling white, devilish masks.

My three-year-old son runs into the room screaming with glee and knocks over the giant pile of papers I have segregated. I feel a sudden impulse to hit him, but restrain myself just in time. Instead, I vent my displeasure on the floor with my foot.

Three days, I think. Three days is all I have got before they come to pick you up. You and your sister.

He does not share my anxiety. He looks at me with just a twinge of guilt in his large, lustrous eyes. Then he sheepishly smiles and scurries away.

There is no proof that this child exists, I remind myself. Not unless I sniff some out. But since when did the clear report of one's senses become invalid? This child is right here, can't you see him? There he goes running again, barely avoiding a nasty fall as he takes an unwise step. He gasps as he realises what happened. Can't you hear him gasp?

No, you cannot. You cannot hear him because the authorities do not recognise his existence. Any material object, any person, in fact, any imaginable thing cannot exist unsupported by clear, official proof. Concrete or abstract, it requires a date of birth and, if applicable, a date of expiry. Anything that was not born on record does not exist, and anything whose end is not recorded is certainly still there. What one has to say about it hardly matters.

Frustrated at my lack of success at the task at hand, I stand up and throw some pillows and cushions around. This is a habit I have purposely developed over the years, so as to avoid breaking anything or hitting anyone in such times. My wife hears the noise and rushes to try and pacify me. It takes half an hour for me to give in and finally calm down.

After making love to my wife I set out to consummate our marriage in the way that counts.