Short Story - Flow

Kimu was sitting on the bank. Lost deep into himself; yet following the flow of the river, neither too fast nor too slow, just about right. He could feel the flow under the seven layers of epidermis he was wearing all along. Like the river, his seven layers kept replenishing themselves day after day, month after month and year after year. It was an 11 year long period of losing the old skin and getting new one, inhaling the fresh air and exhaling the stale one. Was the air really fresh or did it keep circulating between being Co2 and O2 through the dark green leaves? Is this water fresh, or has it been here some other time, some other day, in some other form, may be. Lost in all those thoughts, he almost lost the track of time when his mother's shout from inside the house reminded him that he had to go and get milk from White Pearls dairy.

White Pearls dairy produced milk in place of the pearls but his owner Marg Singh ji, thought of each of his milk products viz. milk, curd, paneer, zeera paneer and ghee as distinct perls in their own right. He was a huge man with thick mustache and pearl white dhoti. He wears dhoti in all seasons but perhaps during winters, dhoti is being helped by an extra inner which would help the dhoti keep Marg Singh ji warmer. With dhoti, what would never change is his leather black shoes, ones with pointed ends and giving Marg Singh ji his typical traditional and gracious Jaat look. But during that birthday party, he was not wearing those leather black shoes. Nor was he wearing the same white dhoti.

[Flash back]
He wore a cream colored dhoti which had a golden rim along its length and both its breadths. His shoes were also different, they became brown in color and were extra polished with a golden shine about them. It was a warm bright afternoon of an otherwise dull and shivery winter. DJ who was also the waiter serving a gathering of about 37 people, was playing 60s and 70s oldies of Kishore Kumar. Oldies of Rafi, which was the only other choice he had in old songs, would be too sad for the party. Other than Marg Singh Ji and the DJ, there was Seine who was busy moving here and there and calling some people and smiling at some others. She was basically calling those who were at the party for more than past one hour. These were the people who could help her arrange things for those who are coming or yet to come. Those were coming were the ones at whom Seine was smiling simultaneously. In between her callings and smilings, she called someone and told her to make a call to Seine's husband and ask when will he be reaching home. She wasn't waiting to smile at her husband but was waiting for smiling at Rincha whose birthday party was being attended and organized.

Before the caller could call, house bell rang. Seine rushed to open the door, but somebody else already did it for her. Seine was looking for Rincha, she was coming back home after 2.5 months of her internship. Seine was desperately searching everywhere, at the door, at her husband, even trying to see behind him. Him. Who's he? He is not Rincha's husband. He is their neighbor. Oho, all guests have arrived. "Call him fast", Seine shouted. Neighbor was also in a hurry, he hurriedly came to Seine and silently shouted, "Mr. D'Souza met an accident at Pearls dairy. Mr. Sharma is taking out his car to take him to hospital. You come with me." He said all this without taking a single breath and Seine could only look at his face before he finished. She lost the sense of space and time and started walking with the neighbor. Kishore's song were still playing. DJ will soon stop them from playing and will not turn on to Rafi's songs, though they would definitely match the sadness in the party that persisted after that moment.

Seine reached Pearls dairy. Mr. Maarg Singh and others soon followed. She looked at her husband who was in arms of a neighbor cum friend. She looked around to see Rincha when she noticed a badly sandwiched stomach between probably what would have been a tyre and black tar covered road. That stomach was Rincha's and soon as Seine recognized it, she lost her senses and fell down only to add a count to the number of bodies lying around.

[Present]
Seine shouted again, "Kimuuuuu. Dairy will be closed by the time you get up." She was watching him from the kitchen window and though she knew he was sad due to cruel separation from his elder sister Rincha, she wanted him to fetch milk and take one more step in an attempt to flow with life.