LIFE.... AS IT COMES (CHAPTER 1)

The morning dawned on bright and crispy. And so unlike Kunal's mood. With a huge sigh he sat up in his bed. He hated it. Hated these kind of mornings. With a sour mood he got up from the bed and dragged himself to the bathroom across the hall and shut himself in.

"Open up you wooze!" came the bellowing voice of Ryan.

"No!" whispered back Kunal.

"God! I can't stand the pressure any longer! Listen if I have to poop in my pants you will be washing my underwear for the next two weeks." shouted Ryan at the closed door while hopping from one foot to the other.

Within seconds Kunal was out of the bathroom with a sour face.

"Hey guys! What's with the cursing and all?" Sheila's chirpy voice came floating as she appeared holding a Kellogg's packet in her hand.

"Ohh! Nothing at all! Mr. Sour-face here was hogging the loo for an hour now!" Sarcasm was thickly lined in Ryan's voice.

"An hour????? What were doing in the loo for an hour Kunal?" It surpassed Sheila's imagination as to how could someone even possibly think of staying there for an hour!

"I was compolating." said Kunal.

"You were what???" echoed back Ryan and Sheila.

"Compolating."

"And what the hell is that????" Ryan asked thoroughly confused.

"Compolating. About life. We all compolate." Kunal said defensively.

"You mean contemplating." corrected Sheila with a laugh.

It died down in her throat when Kunal gave her a withering stare.

"Oh god! My potty has arrived! Shit!" with that Ryan rushed into the bathroom.

Sheila's head began reeling. What with early morning contemplating and now with the arrival of 'potty' she began wondering about her own sanity.

"So, Kunal what will you have for breakfast?" She tried infusing cheerfulness in her own voice.

"Nothing." came the solemn reply.

"Why? What's up? And what were you contemplating?" she patted Kunal's head.

"About Nigel."

Now, Sheila knew all about Nigel. So well, that she sometimes puked when the name came up. This time she tried comforting her friend.

"What about him?" she tried keeping her voice neutral.

"Well, he left me today you know." came a sombre reply.

"Oh." It was all Sheila could think of saying. How else could she react when one of her friend-cum-flatmate mourns the day when he had to give up a stray puppy to the municipality creche. And that too contemplates on it early morning!!!!

"And I was thinking that I was 'bout to become a dad and now here I am with no Nigel and no girlfriend. I hate my life!!"

As Kunal lowered his head into his arms and began weeping, Sheila sank to the floor, direly waiting for Tamanna to show up so that she would start feeling normal in her house again.