Page 135 - Musings 2020

8

Oh Shit!

Prateek Sharma 2017B5A20711P and Todarwal Devesh Santosh 2017B4PS0518P

I realized today that I was detached. Detached from the very reality I lived in. Detached from
the friends I laughed with. Detached from every-

THUNK!

A soccer ball interrupted my train of thought, it's sheer momentum hitting my cheek like a
slap from an oversized gorilla. I licked the ground, unintentionally.

“Oi, old man! You okay?” A bunch of pre-pubescent kids came running in my direction.
Being called 'old man’ hurt more than the ball.
I was a 20-year old, for God's sake. Not my fault that my beard loved to grow. I picked
myself up with twice the annoyance.
“What the HELL? That hurt!” I shouted, trying to pull off a menacing face by twisting my
features.

The kids looked unperturbed so I was probably unsuccessful. “Really sorry about that.
Accident.”, said a 13 something looking kid with a scar on his left cheek. He seemed to be
the leader of the small band of 8 kids about 12-13 in age.

“Look here, little kids-”, I began, only realizing that I was making myself look old
intentionally. I coughed to stop and resumed, “You shouldn't play so recklessly, someone
could get hurt.”
“No shit.”, came a snarky response from somewhere in the little group, met by giggles and
snorts. The scar kid covered his mouth too.

The vein in my forehead throbbed harder, irritation turning to anger. “Do you even know-”, I
thundered, only to be interrupted.
“Look here, this is a soccer ground in the park. Not our fault that you were standing on the
side moping like the world was ending. Be aware of your surroundings.”, said a kid, blonde
hair, standing beside the scarred kid.

The logic in his words left me speechless. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, trying
to muster something, only to look dumber than I already was.

“We'll take the ball, thanks.”, said the scarred kid, picking up the ball beside my foot.

The group turned around and proceeded back to the field, while I stood there, with gritted
teeth.

“Seems like you're awake now.”, came a rough voice from behind me. I turned around in
surprise, to come face to face with an old man with one hand on a cane and another on his
back.

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