You Rest, You Play

The long wait at the airport was not new for Ashish. He has been waiting for something or someone his entire life. Work, music, books — they kept him occupied throughout. He hated the idea of wasting time on social media or dating sites. In fact, he's never dated in his life. Max and Deb used to call him the eternal virgin. He never cared; for all he knew, he could be asexual. No girl or guy interested him. He didn't indulge in porn. He was a strange creature. Of course, one might misunderstand him as a moralist or as one of a conservative mindset, but that's not the case. He was a free bird. He never judged anybody too, therefore, as they are as free to do whatever they wished to as he himself.

Boarding the flight took longer than usual. He chose a window seat as always. He would love to live on those clouds. How he wished to just fly away! After the death of his parents, it took Ash a long time to come to terms with the fact that he has to live alone and therefore, he has to constantly find reasons to stay sane and alive. Workaholism was one sure shortcut to that and he did just that. But as time passed, the stagnation was unbearable. He had to do something.

"Excuse me, would you mind if my child sat next to you?"

The sudden intrusion severed his ties with words. His thoughts drifted away. "No problem. It's your seat anyways."

Ash was half unsure about it though. Should he be an arse and tell them he doesn't want any disturbance? One look at the child and he changed his mind. She must have been 3 or 4. She sat there reading a comic book. He loved kids who read. And this one must be an early bloomer, she seriously look so young to read comics. Her mother opened her bag and kept a few more comics next to her. Somehow, this gesture made Ash's heart flutter. What was it that he's feeling right now? He surely doesn't want kids of his own. There's no doubt, whatsoever. Then..? Should he start a nursery, or be a babysitter? What the hell does this emotion mean? The sense of adoration was overwhelming. Ash turned back to look outside the window. The flight was about to take off, and a drop of tear trickled down his cheek.

____________

Landing at Hyderabad Airport, he quickly received his luggages and rushed to find a taxi which would take him to the company apartment. It was a 42 minutes journey and he felt a sense of calmness as soon as he landed in the city. It was certainly a positive time. He checked his phone; Max was calling. He picked it up. He is supposed to meet Max at 7. He's conveniently chosen a bar some five minutes away from his apartment. That's fine, then, because he didn't want to travel anymore that day.

He entered the lift of the building where his apartment was. Level 7. The lift was about to close when two tiny feet marched in.

"Oh, what a coincidence?! Do you live here?"