4. Archiving

wish for winter.

oct 7th 2022

october is here, finally. two more days till the mid sem break ends and i get back to my beloved routine. i miss the metro. i miss the comically tiny room i share with my roomate. i haven’t been able to write at home, there has always been something more germane to occupy my time.

so,

i still need to finish that assignment. i have a book or two to get through. i have to buy a toothbrush and take some snacks for my friends. “could the blueberry cheesecake survive the 7-hour drive without a refrigerator?”, “should i take that book to show my friend?”, questions i’d been asking myself all morning. a wonderful morning. it was drizzling and the cool wind gave me the excuse to take out one of those oversized sweatshirts neatly tucked away in the winter cupboard. SO COMFORTABLE.

i went to the market. had my bag fixed. ate an amrudh, its pink middle filling my mouth with shy sweetness. mistook grapes for cherries because i wasn’t wearing my glasses. bought malta. stared at the green framed windows of that house and wondered after the family that perhaps still lived there? i thought of kashmir as i looked at it. the house seemed to be stuck in perpetual winter, however, the warmth coming out of the samosa vali dukan downstairs told a different story.

it was my mother’s birthday on the 6th, she turned fifty and jokingly said she fully intends to play her second inning to my dad as he made her a cup of chai. they sat together and talked about the old days while I tied up my present in the other room. we had cake for breakfast. two cups of adrak vali chai in the afternoon. it was wonderful. went to pick up the fifty pink roses sent by her childhood friend. the red ones i got her sat at home in a pretty vase. my pockets will be overflowing with dry flowers soon enough, expect some on your desk.

rest of the time,

saw old friends. made them watch good omens. passed on some much-loved books. made saucy pasta. got my nose licked and my fingers bit by my dog. gave him food and brushed his hair. fought over the last bite of a pastry with my brother. washed the wet mud off my hands after a somewhat friendly game of badminton. smiled to the comforting tune of the same wallows song my mother likes to play on repeat. fresh garlic bread for lunch and love poetry read alone at night. met a friend i didn’t recognize at first because i last saw him in 3rd grade when he introduced me to goosebumps by r.l stine. kissed my dog on the space between his eyes, kissed and kissed and kissed him.

august slipped away and so did september. october will probably slip away from me too, the stress of assignments and approaching exams has already started affecting my mind. but october…has brought with it a sudden pang for december and january. excitement for strengthening the bonds i have already made, maybe learning to have better conversations over glasses of hot chocolate.

i hope you are doing well, and that you had a fun first week of october. sending hugs and wishes, and perhaps a few nose licks by pups.