A String Called Life

CHAPTER 3

I stare out of the window and all I can see is trees, trees, and more trees.

This place seems to have plenty of them.

Last night when we arrived, I was busy complaining about this place to actually see how big our house is (and also, I was so tired that all I could do before crashing onto the haphazardly arranged mattress on the floor was change into pajamas). 

But when I woke up this morning, I was surprised when I had to walk for hours to get to the kitchen from the living room (it's a bit of an exaggeration but well... you get the point).

The door to my room creaks open, "Ruj, I'm going to the market to get groceries. Are you coming with me?" My mother speaks softly. She seems to be doing this a lot lately.

"No."

My eyes don't leave the windows but I can hear the frown in her voice when she speaks next. "What are you going to do alone?"

Is she afraid to leave me alone? My mother is protective but she has never been one of those overprotective moms who don't let their kids even step outside their house alone. I have been left plenty of times alone... with Raj.

Guess I now have to learn a lot of things that I didn't know about my parents before.

"Ma, no one's going to kidnap me here. You brought me to a jungle, remember?" I take in deep breaths, trying not to let the heaviness in my chest win.

"I am not asking you to come with me because I'm scared about you staying alone. I am asking you to come because I want you to know the place where you'll be staying for quite a while now. You should come with me." Ma's voice is final, not leaving even a tiny hole for me to say no.

I sigh, "Fine ma. Just don't make this long."

"Sure, get ready, we'll be going in ten."

* * *

The big signboard on the building says 'Agarwal store'.

"Come on, Ruj." Ma bounces out of her car, her face contorted into what I think is supposed to be a cheery look.

"Yeah, coming."

Ma locks the car as soon as I close my door and follow her. A cool breeze hits me as I cross the road. The store in front of me is a small one-storeyed building surrounded by... yes, you guessed right. Trees. I focus on my feet, trying to ignore the super old and pathetic building.

If Raj was here, he would have said something like, 'Woooooo! This place definitely has a ghost or two. Wanna explore?', his eyes glinting and his mouth forming a typical wicked grin of his. 

"Ma, when are we going to unpack everything?" I try to make small talk with ma. After all, the last thing I want to do is break down sobbing in the place that I now have to call home.

Ma gets excited when she sees me talking to her because I seem to have forgotten how to talk lately.

"As soon as we go home. God knows we need a decent bed tonight! So first we'll be unpacking the beds and..." She goes on, dumping more information into me than I needed. Her overly cheery tone is clearly fake but I somehow feel guilty for not paying attention to her when she is trying so hard to make things better. But that's where she has got it wrong. There is no 'making things better' now. Everything I knew and loved is already destroyed.

The entrance to the one-storeyed building has railings on both sides and there is a stand of trolleys to the right side.

Ma separates one from the group and pushes it through the door as I follow behind her.