What does it feel like to be sitting in your room and doing nothing ? Well, technically the answer is to feel bored but to be honest I don''t feel bored. Bored is what you would say when you want to do something but you just don''t know what to do.


    I don''t think it''s the same in my case though. I don''t have anything to do and I don''t want to do anything either.


    I have been staring out the window for well over 20 minutes now and I can say that I am not bored. The night is warm. Too warm perhaps because I had to increase my fan speed so I don''t suffocate to death.


    There isn''t much to look out though. It''s basically just an empty land that has been sitting here from the day I was born. There isn''t much to listen to either apart from the neighbor''s television playing some serial.


    I am not complaining though ; the silence is comforting and peaceful.


    I try to listen harder to what my neighbor''s are playing. I don''t seem to recognize it. Huh. That''s funny. And I thought all housewives watched the same thing. I can already hear Anupama  playing downstairs.


    After another ten minutes of staring into the distant land belonging to the silent and lonely night, I realize that maybe I do want to do something. But I have nothing to do. Okay! NOW, I am feeling bored.


    I decide to call my friend Vijesh. Vijesh said he would be going to Mysore and I mean – well – He DID go but – I just thought that maybe he might not go and would hang out with me and the gang - Sunil, Sujitha, Sonali and Shreya.


    I dial his number and hear it ring. He doesn''t pick up. Okay now it''s starting to get annoying. It''s bad as it is that I have over two months before college starts but it''s even worse when you have no idea how to pass the time. I have binged like over a hundred anime''s. I might as well break the record for the fastest anime watcher and the most number of anime''s watched in a month.


    I am about to start my third season of My Hero Academia when I hear my name being called.


    “KRIYAAANK !!!”


    It''s mom. I then hear footsteps approach my room.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    “Kriyank-” I see my room door open and my mom steps in. She looks around a bit as if expecting to see me doing or hiding something that I shouldn''t.


    I take out my ear pods from my ear. “ What happened ?” I ask.


    “What are you doing?” she asks, still thinking that perhaps I might be watching porn or something. Yup. Suspicion level 100.


    “Nothing, just watching a show” I say. “What happened ?”


    “I have some bad news for you.”


    Uh-oh.


    My college application is canceled ? I know that''s not right but that''s the only important thing ahead that I am kind of worried about. It''s always the important stuff that go wrong every time. Isn''t it ?


    “Okay ? What is it?”


    “Your friend Evelyn''s mother called. She is not in good health.”


    Evelyn ? Whoa. Where did that come from ?


    “What happened ?” I ask.


    “She''s got cancer. Stage IV.”


    * * *


    I think it''s been over 10 minutes since I have been staring at my phone. My eyes lingering over Sunil''s name in the contact list. Should I call him or one of the girls first ? Or maybe should I just try calling Evelyn ?


    No wait. What ?


    What the hell am I thinking ? I don''t think my brain has been this confused in a long time. It''s like a box has been opened in my brain, A box filled with emotions and memories. A box that I would have rather preferred to keep shut.


    Evelyn has got cancer ? Well, definitely didn''t see that coming. And that too stage IV ? Since when did she have it then ? When did it all start ?


    It''s like someone just threw a brick at my head and I am just waking up now. How did it all come to this ? Three years led to this ?


    I hear the line ring and I see Sunil''s name on the screen. Guess my brain might not have noticed my hand tapping his number. Yup ; Definitely hit on the head.


    I hear the line ring for sometime. I am about to hang up when I hear him pick up.


    “Hello?” I hear him say.


    “H-Hello ?”


    “Yeah bro tell, what''s up ?”


    I wonder if I should just tell him directly or ask something else first.


    “Bro you know, Evelyn''s mom called just now.”


    “What?” I hear him laugh. “ Whoa, what happened ? She called you ?”


    “No” I say. “ She called my mom. She wanted to tell something about Evelyn.”


    “Um-mm....Okay, what ?”


    “She has got cancer.”


    I hear him laugh “She has got cancer-ah?”


    “Yeah” I say “ Stage IV”


    “Huh?”


    “Yeah.”


    There''s a pause. “ Hey, stop lying, dumbass” he says. I hear him scoff.


    “Her mother said that it''s terminal.” There''s an even longer pause.


    “Are you being serious right now? “ he asks. “She has really got cancer ?? I mean this is not like some kind of prank right ?”


    I don''t say anything. I can still hear Anupama playing downstairs. How loud does mom have to keep the volume ?


    “Shit bro. Now what ?”


    “I don''t know” I say “I don''t know.”