Birthday Present! (Part 1)

In my life, there are no regrets,

Some mistakes that I made,

I wear’em on my sleeves………….

I remember the night I was trying to write a poem, but I was blocked not by a person, but by my mind and it’s called writer’s block. I tried so hard to write a piece, but I couldn’t draw the inspiration. I didn’t want to write about love or heartbreak. I had a lot of inspiring stories about that, but nah…. I needed something bigger. Something about life, about moments, about… about….. I didn’t know. I told you I had no story, nothing to write about. So, I went to the window of my room, it was 11:29 pm I remember it vividly because my little brother’s birthday was about to start in 31 mins, and I placed the order for pizza. I threw my mobile on the bed very carefully and stood on the window looking at the moon, the moon hits a brainwave in my heart. That night I saw the moon, it was full, shiny, bright, beautiful and slowly that moon went behind the clouds, after a few mins it came out, it felt like the moon was teasing me. And with that thought, I smiled and looked away. I saw a house just below the moon, there I saw a man flirting with a woman or was it just my imagination, maybe I was caught in the moment, but I was alluring. Then he held her from the waist and pulled her towards him, she held his left hand which was on her waist and tried to push him back, wait, what? It was not romantic neither it’s my dream. Oh my god…… I couldn’t believe what my eyes saw next. In that utter shock, I stood glancing out the window. And I heard a bang on my door, I turned in shock.

“Come out, it’s almost 12 o clock.” My mother came to call me for my brother’s birthday celebration.

I went out and saw a bunch of people, some uncles, and aunties who probably were there for the food. Some cousins were there for pictures. We never celebrated his birthday like this, but the 18th birthdays are special.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY” my cousins shouted, I turned to see my brother was standing in the hall, acting all surprised. Everybody gathered around him to congratulate him, we cut the cake and after clicking a zillion pics, we went for pizza. I was sitting in corner I couldn’t get that incident out of my head, I needed fresh air. I stood from my seat leaving my pizza behind and I went outside.

‘where are you coming from?’ my brother was in the kitchen eating leftovers when I reached home after my long walk and a cleared mind.

‘I am…. I went for a walk’ and from his look, I judged he was not buying that, ‘I had a lot of pizza’ I tried to clarify. ‘Was it weird when you turned 18?’ he was tensed because of this. ‘Take that cake and come with me’ I knew what he wanted to hear. We went up to the roof and sat on the swing. We watched the full moon and I felt the hollowness of the previous incident.

‘Did you feel any difference? I mean when I was a kid I always thought turning 18 would be so great like it would be a different feeling, an emotional time, but now I feel like it’s over and nothing changed.’

“You are right, it doesn’t change anything except now you can vote, but you can’t drink until you are 25.”

‘Here I would like to correct you. It is 21, not 25.’

‘Not in Haryana. Here, it is 25, but you are eligible to drink in goa now.’

‘Then I am going to goa tomorrow. By the way how come you know all this about drinking. I shall share this with Papa.’

‘I know a lot of things about alcohol and Prerana’

And I watched his disguised expressions, I laughed, and he followed my laughter with a smile. I sat there with my little brother in that breeze and we talked about the memories and funniest moments from our childhood and with every smile on his face I hoped he would never change.

‘You heard about the murder that happened last night’ Antra said the words without even realizing the fact that I was trying to forget it. Antra was one of my friends, we were a group of three. And Neha was my best friend, I hate Neha for only one reason that she brought Antra to our group. Before Antra we were just a couple and now we were a trio.

‘You know that man who died was actually quite young, he was 34 years old, very handsome and rich, and most importantly he was single, but rumors are that he was dating someone. I wonder who? She must be a very gorgeous lady maybe in her late 20s. What do you think?’ She talked nonstop and that’s another reason why I hated Antra.

Neha quietly read my face and she knew I was uncomfortable with all the questions, ‘Maybe he was gay and there is no lady, but an equally handsome man’, she tried to lighten the mood and my heart apparently.

‘You alright? I saw you were uncomfortable with the questions. But you do know that you have to tell your parents about it. And Maybe admit to police.’ Neha and I had been friends for the last three years, but she knew me better than anyone and she knew what was best for me.

‘I am afraid’ Neha held my hand and I sat there with her in the middle of our college’s ground. I shed a few tears, but my life was about to shed in front of my eyes. And I could feel it.

I reached home at 5 pm and was searching for food in the kitchen. I didn’t want to eat anything, but I didn’t want my parents to suspect anything either. So, I stuck to my routine.

‘They hired Mr. Singh for the investigation’ that sentence of my father was a bombshell to my already shattering life, my heart stopped, my emotions were overflowing, my ears were banging, my whole body started shivering and I fell on the ground. Hearing the thud my mother cried and my father turned to grab me. But I was fine I stood up and my mother started stuffing my stomach.

‘Neha, Mr. Singh is one of the best detectives in the whole nation. He will figure out all that in just a few days and then my family and the whole nation will know. This case is getting so much media attention.’

‘At least you will be on the TV and then I will write a biography of your life and I will be famous too.’

Neha knew how to crack me up, but it’s hard to have a serious conversation with her. For a moment there I thought I should have called Antra. This whole murder mystery was killing my brain too.

Four days past and slowly I started to forget it too. And especially on that day, because it was my 21st birthday and I couldn’t wait to start my day.

‘Check your WhatsApp now, is it looking good?’ I didn’t like her, but she was good at fashion, she had a yearly subscription to Vogue and Elle 18. We just wore clothes to college, she wore a wardrobe. She was 5’5”, light skin and a curvy body, with brown straight hair. And Neha was not a big help in this department. Neha was 5’6”, thin, lighter skin than Antra, green eyes covered with specs, black hair always tied in a ponytail, I had never seen Neha wore a sweatshirt, couldn’t imagine her in a tank top. And there was me, 5’5”, thin, brown curly hair, I guess I am beautiful.

I wore a black jean ripped from just above the knees, with a mustard crop top and mustard heels, applied subtle makeup and a scarf in my freshly straightened hair. All thanks to Antra.

‘Ma, I am going to college; I will be late today.’ I shouted this while running outside the house.

‘You are under arrest.’

‘Mr. Singh’