A Day in the Life

Ali had tuned his girlfriend out. The last he had listened she had been talking about Gaza and a panic attack she had experienced a year ago and how, she believed, the two linked together. It was not like what she was talking about bored him. On the contrary, he found it extremely interesting. Interesting enough, in fact, for him to Google the Gaza issue and anxiety disorders while still providing cursory verbal cues in to his phone’s receiver for his girlfriend’s benefit.

“Ali?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re not listening.”

“I am. You were talking about this religious sect in Turkey with Muslim as well as pagan practices.” Ali knew that because he had Googled that too.

“No. I was talking about my maid’s brother’s wedding. It’s today. I might go to the church to attend it.”

This was followed by a small argument which concluded with Ali closing his internet browser, and starting a game of free cell instead.

“I was saying,” his girlfriend finally continued, “that he’s getting married to a girl he impregnated five months ago. The pregnant girl’s father showed up at their house with his daughter and said that she’s their responsibility now. The boy was already engaged to a cousin of his, and he actually wanted to get married to some third girl. The dad was going to leave the girl at their house but they convinced him to take her home after agreeing to get the boy married to her.”

“Wow. What does he do for a living?”

“Nothing. He’s barely 22. Everyone else in his family works, so he lives off them. The part that really bothered me in this entire thing was what my maid said. She said that her family’s planning to get the boy married to the girl, then get the baby aborted and then get the couple divorced.”

“What’s the point to getting married in the first place, then?”

“Uff, Ali! Of course he has to marry her. The entire mohalla knows what’s going on. They would more readily accept a failed marriage and a convenient miscarriage than a boy who hasn’t taken responsibility for what he’s done. What’s amazing is how unethical and ridiculous the entire plan is. And so unnecessary and exploitative. In any case, Ami talked to my maid and convinced her it’s a ridiculous idea.”

“Ah.”

“There was a bomb blast in R. A. Bazaar this morning. The explosion woke me up.”

“Really? I didn’t know. I slept through it.”

They were silent for a few seconds, after which they exchanged good byes. Ali completed six games of free cell and, after spending a significant amount of time contemplating the pros and cons of getting lunch, headed towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was occupied by his middle aged maid. She was a stout woman who disapproved of Ali, and made no secret of it. Ali always asked her for meals at odd hours. He left wet towels on his bed, and made no use of his laundry basket. The maid noticed Ali and curtly informed him that she was just about to go home.

“My daughter’s sick. I was just about to go home.”

“Oh.” Ali tried his best to look completely clueless. “Is there some salan in the fridge?”

“Yes.”

“And I’ll eat that with toast?” Ali attempted to look even more clueless. The maid sighed.

“I’ll make lunch for you. I really have to go. My daughter’s sick. She has typhoid. After you finish eating please soak the dishes in the sink. Otherwise ants will be crawling everywhere in no time. I would have stayed and cleared up after, but I have to go. My daughter’s sick.”

“Yes. Of course. I’m very sorry.”

During lunch one of Ali’s friends, Alam, called him up.

“Hey. Listen. There’s this thing at Pammu’s house tonight. Want to go?”

“Sure. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay then.”

Ali spent the next few hours watching back to back episodes of the many sitcoms he followed. During this time he was interrupted by three text messages:

“Now for just 20 paisas/min+t you can enjoy the unlimited variety of songs in Ufone Music Station. Dial 555 and subscribe.”

“I have stuff. Come over earlier tonight.”

“Four Gr8 ways of Living: First, Look back & Thank ALLAH... 2nd, Look forward & Trust ALLAH. 3rd, Look around & Believe ALLAH. 4th, Look within & Find ALLAH. Pass this message 2 your fellow Muslims.”

He then went to sleep while listening to Radiohead. Three hours later he woke up to Videotape playing and his cell phone ringing. He picked it up.

“Hello.”

“When are you coming?”

“What time is it?”

“Ten.”

“Oh. I don’t know. In an hour?”

“My Dad’s an asshole.”

“What happened?”

“He threatened to kick me out of the house if I don’t get better grades. I’m not sure if I should go out tonight given the scene at my place.”

“Wouldn’t he be sleeping by then?”

“Yeah. Don’t ring the bell when you come over though.”

“I never do.”

“I hate Pammu nowadays as well by the way.”

“He asked you before he asked out Mahwish, man. Do you not want to go to his place now?”

“I do. I just don’t want to see him.”

“With any luck Mahwish would be the only one seeing him.”

“Asshole.”

“You like every other girl on the planet. At least Pammu asked you about her.”

“I couldn’t say no. And I didn’t really like her that much then.”

“So whose fault is it then?”

“Everyone’s not a Romeo like you are, Ali. I’m just getting so depressed nowadays.”

“Because of Mahwish?”

“No. Yes, that too. It’s just this life. It’s so mundane. There really isn’t anything to it, is there? There’s just today and tomorrow and the day after and then death.”

“There was a bomb blast in R. A. Bazaar this morning.”

Both Ali and Alam were silent for a few moments. Then they broke in to uninhibited laughter.