Heart

"Sir ji. Samaan!!! (Sir! Your belongings!!!) " The cab driver shouted as Vinay dwindled away from the car.

"Oh.. ya.." he turned quite unwillingly. Picking up the polybags of varieties of items, he said, "Thanks yaar." 

Instead of reciprocating with a smile, the driver annoyingly asked, "Kyun pite ho saab itna? (Why do you drink so much Sir?) Huh.. " and drove away even before Vinay could respond.

"Let it be", he thought and somehow reached the door of his gloomy house. Forcefully opening his adamant sleepy eyes, he pushed the key in the keyhole and banged open the door to witness the mess of past one week- the bedsheets shrunk in the corner of the bed, the table barely empty for the polybags he held, the floor thickly blurred because of stains and dust, the sink overflowing with tea utensils, the curtain rods overloaded with sweaty T-shirts and bermuda pants. He saw all of it the way humans see pollution, "It is bad, it should be cleaned but I am not gonna do it just now"

He kept the polybags on his shabby bed and sat down like a falling sack of wheat on the sofa, immediately falling asleep. He wasn't drunk, he just couldn't sleep for a week because of work at his office. And thus, today, when the project was finally complete, his boss, who was otherwise a very frustrated lady, showered praise and rewards on him. He could not have imagined her speak so humbly to him and so proudly of him, "I am fortunate to have him.... I mean the company is fortunate." Afterall, Vinay had worked very hard for it. He stayed in the office for long hours and came back home after dinner, just to sip tea and stay awake for the completion of project. 

And thus he was rewarded with all that he deserved- the bonus and overtime payments, the free Jaipur tour package,  free health checkup, free fitness training, coupons for starbucks, coupons for shopping and free movie tickets. Well, well yes. That's too much. But his cunning boss added a condition, "Validity expires today for some of the offers." Thus the sleepless Vinay enthusiastically shopped, went for a health checkup and watched a movie. He could not forego anything that he got for free. He did not have a pinch of energy left when he fell into his sofa and slept like a switch turned off. But soon he had to get up. A phone call. He looked at the name on the screen, while his own eyes abused him for disturbing them.

"Offo. Mumma" he murmured. He couldn't even not pick up the call because 1st call unpicked, Mumma's BP 100:140. If 2nd call went unpicked, it will be 120:160 and so on. He had to pick it up on the first call itself.

"Ya Maa." he sounded so exhausted that Mumma mistook it for sickness.

"Haww... All okay beta?" She became extremely upset.

"Yaa mumma. Just feeling sleepy. Couldn't sleep for a week. Office work." He spoke all in the shortest possible words. But Moms are Moms. 

"Why on Earth don't you change your job?" The disappointed Mumma lamented, while Vinay wanted just an 'Okay, okay. Good night beta'.

"Offo yaar Mumma. Tomorrow I will have to clean the house. So please lemmi sleep." Vinay spoke somewhat irritatingly.

"Hae mera bachcha!! (Oh my son) This is why I ask you to get married. I don't mean only she will do the household but at least there will be someone to share your work and pain with you. How long will you..."

"Okay mumma good night." He kept the phone before mumma could complete her never ending lecture. Vinay was going to switch off the phone when a message arrived. He accidentally touched open it. A heart. Only a heart emoji. A big red heart. Well, it was not bigger than what it usually is but it seemed to him like a big, lovely, crimson red beating heart. 

"Who would send me a heart?" he wondered. Sleep was not completely gone but it stood on the door of his eyes like a noble guest who waits after knocking. He kept looking at the heart, then looked at the date. It was 13th February. He then looked at the time. It was 10.00 pm. Vinay drank some water from the bottle that lay beside the sofa and wiped his eyes with water and then looked closely at the number. It was some unknown number. He raised the notification volume and kept the phone beside him while still lying on the sofa. After five minutes he abruptly got up looking at his phone. Another heart emoji. Same number. Oh my God. He had missed the notification sound when message arrived. Now, he couldn't sleep. What if a message arrived and he was asleep. What if he couldn't reply to the one sending hearts. Yes, he was curious but he was not just curious. He was willing to reply. Mumma's statement was to be blamed, though not solely.

"So what to do?" he thought. His brain forecasted that a proposal message will arrive after 12 midnight, i.e, on 14th feb.

Still, he got up and cleaned the table such that if a message arrived even before mid night, he could respond. While he was wiping the dust, he wondered who she could be. 

Was she the lady whom he helped at the shopping mall by picking up something from the top shelf and she smiled back saying, "Thanks."?

He thought for few seconds and abruptly thought back "No, no, how would SHE get my number." 

Another thought struck. Was it that girl two seats next to him in the cinema hall for whom he had to pass the snacks everytime, spoiling his own movie experience. Yes, yes the one who later apologized for the disturbances very humbly. But again, "But how would even SHE get.... Wait wait... I shouted my number aloud to Ravi over call. May be then.... No, no.... that was my second sim number."

Table cleaned. No message. He did not want to call or reply unless he found that it would be okay. So he then cleaned his bed. 

While he dusted the bed, he saw himself in the mirror beside bed. That well maintained physique. Even the receptionist at the health centre was flattered. "Why do you need a check up?", she had jokingly said. "Wait, wait. Could it be her? She has the number. I filled it in the basic details form. But she even complemented that filthy aunty later.... May be it was just her habit.... Or may be not. ", Vinay was confused. Well, no message still. 

He then started washing the utensils and cleaning the kitchen. And then a damn crazy thought struck him, "Boss..... Could it be her?.... She was too humble to be considered normal.... May be she... no no... why would she... Welllll !!! Why can't she..." His mind was beating like his heart and his heart was stunned like the emoji. No option seem to go well but none did he feel like rejecting completely. 

It took him less than an hour to do all the work he did. He checked his phone again. No message still. His patience was soon to blow off. He typed a message, "Sorry. Couldn't get who u r. Would u mind telling me ur name plz?". Message could not be sent. No network.

"Offo. This also had to happen now only. Dammit." He became impatient. Went out in the veranda mumbling "signal... Signal...signal..come...signal" but to no avail. The chores had squeezed him dry of energy and the absence of signal had dampened him with hopelessness. Finally when his exhaustion crossed the threshold of curiosity and to some extent, love, he stretched himself on the cleaned bed, kept his phone close to his ear and closed his eyes, though still not intending to sleep. But it was no more in his control. He slept like a bear in hibernation and got up nearly twelve hours later. The analog clock struck 11.05. (of the noon)

"Thank god. It was just 5 min nap." He thought it to be still night unless he noticed the light in the room.

"Twelve hours. Oh my god." He screamed as he searched for his phone which had slipped in the corner of the bed. He hurriedly took it out, even hurting his pinky finger. He quickly unlocked it. 1 message. He opened it with a beaming happy but worried face. The message said,

"Unlike the emojis of our phone, we have just one heart. This valentine take care of your real heart. For regular check up please visit Healthy Heart Mayo Clinic. 50% off today. Hurry up."

Vinay felt like he was ahead of time. It was 1st April for him.