Two days after the lock-down was declared, I contacted my 'old set'. I used e-mail, Whatsapp, Facetime and phone. I would have liked to send a letter, for old times' sake. First love, first crush, good friend, long-time friend, best friend in school, best friend in college. The timeline ended there. Best to leave alone the close ones that came later. The dead, the lost and the forgotten.
Nearly all replied. The communication ended there. I did not push my luck. Let it remain a social experiment.
Only one did not reply. I used to call her the eternal one. We used to say we would be there for each other forever. We were not joking. We had been together since we were babies, even through couple of disastrous affairs of the heart. Then, we let the river flow under the bridge. What's that cliché? Emotional flotsam and jetsam? Something sentimental, something stupid.
By the end of week three of the lock-down, the jokes were over. I was bitter most of the time. I checked for her reply more frequently. Maybe, she is busy like the rest of us. Maybe, she is even more busy taking care of the ill. When I was not bitter, I wondered if she is ok, if she is alive. She must be. Otherwise, I would have got a reply, I thought and laughed crazily.
Week four and five, I didn't give a damn.
I don't read the newspaper. I don't listen to the news. I stay away from Facebook and Twitter. I watch crap to waste time. I try to scribble. Even the words are in lock-down.
Eternity is over, my one.
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