CHAPTER 3: I THOUGHT YOU HATED PARTIES

The next morning Mil had woken up to four hours of sleep, half the usual amount. The cold had done things to her. She peaked out the windows through the slit in the curtains. Clusters of vapors had accumulated on the glass panel outside. They struck onto the transparent like a baby panda to its mother. Though Mil could hardly see through the morning fog, the sun's disappearance was apparent. It was as if the clouds had arrested the guilty. A pair of handcuffs protecting the identity of the culprit while the earthling gathers around with phones and cameras demanding an answer to 'why did you do it?' As if the sun will speak up.

She shivered before slipping deeper into the blankets which were warm. Why would baby animals be left by their parents in the wild? Why does the mother bird push the baby down the tree? If Mil were a bird, she would hate being thrown out to survive in the wild. She hated the wild, what she did like was, the warm blankets. A harsh pull on the edge of the bedsheet swung away the warmth in the blink of an eye.

"MOM!" Mil shouted, groaning under the cold as her mother held the blankets dear. Mil wriggled like an earthworm that had been exposed to a spoon of salt.

"Wake up, you dad and I need to attend a conference early today. We will drop you at school before leaving." She started moving towards the door but turned back one last time, as if she just remembered something. "Oh also, we need to attend a party this evening so tell you friends to come over some other day. I'll get you your dress from the dry cleaners."

"Do I really need to go?"

"Not necessarily, but what will you do back at home? You always act suspiciously when we come back."

"I don't, I just study when you're out."

"I know you don't. Get ready for school."

Why would a mother animal push her baby out of her nest? For after all it is cold. Mil could hear soft noises outside, both the chorus of birds on their morning hunt out the window and the conversation of her parents out the door. Weirdly, she was in peace. As if she had slept twice rather than the half.

At school, Jabira's leg spoke her anxiety. They thundered up and down at the speed of light. The numbers might be exaggerated but the anxiety is not. At one instance, her right leg stopped shaking only for the left one to start, slowly making way for both to bring the taste of earthquake in the small wooden bench. Mil would occasionally let her hand rest over Jabira's thighs to calm her but take them off right after. Jabira didn't mind the gesture but Mil did.

The two looked at the physics teacher drawing a circular loop at the green-board with a chalk white in color. It was weird how an experiment was drawn and explained rather than being shown in laboratory. Then again, Indian schools never made sense. Mil's eyes would zoom at the empty desk periodically, as if a glance would fill the void. Nightingale wasn't at school. Was she sick? Oh, didn't she visit the hospital? Mil wondered if she was alright. If nightingale were to marry her, would it be her duty to take her to the hospital? Jabira's drilling legs pushed hers aside. Mil woke up from her thoughts, shocked at her own flow of questions.

"What's the matter with you?" Mil whispered to Jabira that was glaring away at the clean textbook in front of her. The physics notebook looked fresh, with no signs of human. It sat on the wooden bench scribbled with graphite.

Jabira's legs shook violently before calming down a little, "We need to plan the assembly event again and the one we planned is dumb. Your house, today at four o' clock."

"Who said it was dumb? And no, we can't today. My parents are taking me out for a party."

"I thought you hated parties."

"I never said that I didn't. But who said our plan was dumb?"

"Then why are you going to the party?"

Mil raised her eyebrows, "Stop changing the topic. Who said our plan was dumb?"

"No one, I was just thinking about it last night and imagine us, four girls shouting our lungs off dressed in weird march clothes... we are going to be made fun of. What if we get bullied even?

A white cylindrical object flew past the two. The class erupted in cheers as the chalk hit a guy in the back, clearly not the targeted. "Looks like the girls have something to share with us."

Mil and Jabira stood up, avoiding eye contact with the elder. A sudden staring contest with their physics textbook made way for them to turn a blind eye to the teacher's nagging. He was a man of thick skin, literally, that wore bright green shirts with a tie on. The dull looks didn't favor the green but neither did his teaching profession.

"Mil, come over and stand in front of the whole class."

Mil walked over as the boys in the back poked Abhi in the arm, not letting him forget that he was rumored to like the girl. She faced the class, her cold hands resting at the back.

"What were you teaching your friend in the back? Was it something better than what is being taught here? In that case, why don't you share some information with us too?"

"No sir. We weren't talking."

"Then what was it that I heard?"

"Maybe your schizophrenia's acting up again." Mil muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" The teacher raised his eyebrows but his voice remained soothing. Fearing the laws that restricted him from scolding girls harshly.

"Nothing sir."

"Go stand at the back corner. Both of you, one at the right and the other left." He moved back to his position in front of the greenboard, picking up a fresh chalk to write with. The girls were clearly not in a position to discuss again. That day, the four of them couldn't talk much but Mil was successful in conveying news about her evening plans.

Back home in the evening, Mil was touring the whole house for her towel. Her mother had ordered her to shower while she picked the dress up from the dry cleaners. Mil had three of such dress that she would repeatedly wear at functions and all were left at the shop. Mil's father drank his usual cup of tea over the sofa, relaxing before he had to socialize at the party. He watched as Mil zoomed past the room and picked the blue cloth resting on the chair.

"Are you going to shower?" His comment was rather teasingly structured, dull with a hint of irony. Mil couldn't talk back but it wasn't so that she couldn't ignore him too. So, she did. "What else will a towel help me with?" She muttered under her breath after leaving the room to the man. She wasn't as fond of her father as she was of her mother. Maybe it was because they rarely spent time together. Of course, she had her memories of a super cool father in childhood. But these memories were replaced with memories of a busy father. A father that didn't make any effort to spend time with his daughter and a father that only spoke irony to his daughter. It wasn't his fault but it wasn't hers either.

Cold water sprung over the hot edges of her skin. She rubbed her whole body with the transparent blue soap. It was originally a solid circle, but had shrunk into an oval after being used repeatedly by the young girl. Mil only had one bucket of water and a mug that would empty almost one-sixth of the quantity to shower. She had used one at the beginning and the other five at the end to wash the soap away. After wrapping her body with the towel she had found, she marathoned towards her room, going rather slow so her then wet feet wouldn't slip over the tiles. She locked the door behind her, panting as if she had just run through a swarm of zombies. She liked to imagined such scenarios too. She found her dress placed neatly in her bed. Mil clicked open her lock and peaked outside.

"Mom, when did you come back?" Mil's voice thundered across the house. Another click of the door let her mother peak out from her room too. The lady was putting her makeup on, with foundation smudged over her right cheek and the left still void.

"While you were showering, did you wear the dress yet?"

"I will now."

The two went back in their respective rooms and two locks were heard simultaneously. Meanwhile, Mil's father was still found relaxing. It took him a solid five minutes to put his suit and shoes on and this achievement was the fastest in the family. He usually started getting dressed when his daughter came out dressed. Mil would usually take the same amount of time her mother did but be finished fifteen minutes prior. Her father would then dress in the finest materials in his closet. This would take about five minutes. And the rest ten minutes would be spent in trivial tasks such as setting his hair up and staring at himself in the mirror. He thought that he was quite handsome.

Mil sat outside, ready to hop into the car any second now. She wore a light blue traditional dress called Lehenga. It was a set of long skirt with blouse paired with a dupatta at the side. The blouse was a crop top but phrased in a way Indians tend to believe is well-mannered. The skirt was plain; unlike the fancy Lehengas Indians usually wear. The dupatta dangled from her shoulder. The design was best for the event. She was attending an event organized by people her family was not too close to dress extravagantly fancy but also not unknown to wear jeans. Mil wore cute little earrings that dropped down like an umbrella and paired it with a black pendant she liked. Outside, she put her black boots on and was ready to jump up and down the stairs. Of course, only after lifting her skirt up with her clenched fists.

Her father and mother rushed out in a pair. Mil's mother had full makeup covering her already pretty face now. She looked like a mature Mil, or was it Mil that looked like an immature version of her mother? They put their shoes on and the doors were henceforth locked and checked twice. Soon, you would find them unlocking the door again, since they had forgotten the party gift the male of the family had prepared inside. Mil's father would then grunt at his wife, forgetting that it wasn't exactly her duty to take care of the wrapped object. Nevertheless, the doors would be locked again and checked thrice. Mil accidentally stepped on her own skirt while skipping down the stairs. The girl managed not to fall and decided it was best to be careful. She would then lift the skirt up till her hairy legs would be at display. It made it easier to walk. And so, the family was ready to depart.