Besabriyaan

Chapter 10

Narrator:

Everyone wishes to have a delete button in life. Delete some people. Delete some memories. Delete some feelings because sometimes even though it seems an easy thing to do, we can't kill painful memories by creating memorable ones.

"Dad, what do you want to say?" Manik kept the empty cocktail glass down on the little table.

"No one knows and will never know how much hurtful it is to a father to see both of his sons being thirsty of each other's destruction." The old man knew the pain.

"I'm unsure which pain is worse...the burden of lies of the past or the truth of the pain that you will get in future, because Dad, we all have come too far now to stop." Manik was sharp enough to snip his father's hopes in tiniest of pieces. The son looked around a little when they ran short of conversations.

"Do we have something else to talk about?" Manik queried drawing lines on the edge of his phone and his father lowered his face stopping Manik's movement.

Manik looked at the empty glass on the table for quite some time thinking there was really nothing else to talk about before he stood up grabbing his jacket.

"Alright then," His body hugged the jacket and feet neared the door.

"How are you doing, son?" Manik sighed facing the door.

"I thought you would ask me this the minute I came." He stared at the knob. "I am as I should be. Thanks for asking though, Dad."

"Wish I could explain how helpless this father is and you know, Manik this helplessness is a sickness which paralyses you seeing your loved ones in pain. Worse, when you can do nothing about it." His father uttered while Manik smirked, a little sadly.

"And there's no cure that I know of." Manik walked out leaving his father behind in a pool of despondency.

Walking up at warp speed, he stood at the little pool-bridge outside the house his father and brother owned. Holding the wooden railing, he exhaled a thick smog of melancholy. Manik looked up at the dark night sky with gloomy eyes seeing the twinkling dance of the infinite stars before closing the view.

'Manik are you crying?'

Wrenching, he opened his eyes to have a look around. Not finding the source of such melodious voice nearby, Manik wilfully shut them wishing the voice fills his void ears again.

'Manik are you crying?'

'No mom, men don't cry.' A seven year old Manik flexed his lean arms to his mother who chuckled in return hearing her kid transform into a 'man' at that tender age.

'Aww.. But you know what my son, even men should cry at times. You just need to let go of what are you holding back inside of you before that starts hurting you real bad, boy.' She ruffled his hair.

'But mum, my friends call me a girl because I cry.' His mother giggled and placed her hand on her little son's little heart.

'Do what this says.' She tapped his heart.

'And let people call me a girl?' Little Manik pouted.