My Mundane Existence

Day 6

Mornings are the best part of the day. Very few people are up and there's this palpable serenity in the air that just isn't around for the rest of the day. This serenity only lasts for less than an hour. Arun usually wakes up an hour after that short window.

Whenever he happens to wake during that short window by chance, he makes the most out of it and reads. Four out of ten times, he goes back to The Alchemist. The remaining times, he reads other fiction and obscure non-fiction.

That day again, he wakes up during the short window of magical serenity. He does not read, however, but instead chooses to have a cup of coffee and think.

He brews his favourite dark roast blend in a stove top moka pot and drinks it straight black with no sugar. It gives him a decent kick, especially when had right after rising from sleep.

He sits in one corner of his room and sips through his coffee.

'Rebecca is leaving. It never occured to me that she could leave just like that.' the coffee tastes a little bitter.

He knits his brows and thinks about the offer she made him the previous day. It was lucrative and even a bit tantalising but he knew he was meant to stay where he was. He had worked far too hard to jump ship and start from the bottom again.

He was happy with his job, he was earning good money and he was now his own boss, even if just to a certain extent. He wanted to stay but then why was he sad?

'maybe I should forget what was and focus on what shall be.'

The coffee tastes a little better.

He hears movement from the hallway but ignores it. He finishes his cup and washes it, then prepares breakfast for himself. As he dresses up for the day, he gets a call.

It's Nisha.

"Hey." Says Arun.

"Hi, how're you doing?" Asks Nisha.

"Fine, and you?"

"I'm well, yes. Um, listen."

"Yes?"

"Can we meet this evening?"

He thinks about it for a couple of seconds.

"Why not?" He replies with a smile.

"Alright, at Hauz khas metro station, 6:15 PM?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you."

"Bye."

'what could she possibly want to talk about?'

At the office, Arun takes the cabin which used to belong to Rebecca. There's a note in the pen holder.

"I'm bad at saying goodbyes, you know that very well, so I'm instead promising that we would meet again. I don't think you understood me well enough, but I understood you. That was why we broke up. You're too heavy for me to handle. I don't know what it is that's heavy about you but I just feel that way. I may be wrong, I may be right. I'm praying it's the former. See you around.

Love always,

Rebecca"

"I don't know what you mean by that." He says to the note then crumbles it and tosses it in the bin.