The Mess In The Kitchen

You know the times when everything seems to be going wrong and in the end with just a turn of events or twist in the line, everything just falls into place. Life just doesn’t seem worth the effort until that point in time when life vicissitudes and everything feels like bliss.

She looked at the broken sink. It was broken since this morning. She was looking forward to a day with herself when she was greeted in the morning with this predicament. She was all alone in her house. Her parents had been out since a week and won’t be back before another.

It was not only about the sink. Everything in her life was topsy-turvy. She had just broken up from a year-old relationship and was in need of a shoulder to cry on. She had friends. Her BFFs. But none of them could ever understand what she was going through. She was on an all-time low and now this. She was on the verge of breaking. She needed to vent her feelings.

She thought of all the good times and the bad times as she picked up the mop and began to clean the mess in the kitchen. She then went over to the phone and called the plumber. She heard his reply and felt even more dejected. He couldn’t come until tomorrow. So she had to bear with this mess for the whole day and night.

After cleaning the whole place thrice she was completely spent. All she wanted to do was drop on the bed and fall asleep. But she went and made some instant coffee. She heard the spluttering of the sink before she saw a whole new pile of crap blubbering out of the outlet. She sighed. She’d leave it like that and wait till tomorrow.

She took her cup of hot coffee and headed towards the balcony. She looked into the mirror as she passed by it. On a normal day she would have looked stunning. But today, she looked hideous from all the cleaning. But she didn’t care anymore. She went and sat on the balcony edge.

She loved sitting there and enjoying the view. The cup of coffee was just an icing on the cake. She knew she deserved it. She sipped her coffee and forgot about the world around her. She wondered how lonely she was and how almost all her friends were in pretty serious relationships. She wondered whether there was just one man for every woman and if she had already lost her man. She dreamt of a prince in shining armour who comes to rescue her from these trying times.

She was brought back to reality by the flailing arms of a guy.

“The Balcony Friend” she called him. It was the guy who lived across the street. He was always there whenever she was down. She shared almost everything with him and he was patient enough to hear her out. They communicated by sign language or sometimes by screams, only after making sure that the street was empty. They both didn’t know anything personal about each other, other than the problems they shared. It was not what she wanted but it was what was agreed upon by a silent agreement.

“The kitchen sink is broken. Since this morning.” She signalled.

“Tried calling the plumber?” He asked.

“Not coming until tomorrow.” She signalled back.

“Did you try to fix it?”

“Yup. Not good at plumbing.” She replied.

“Tried calling friends?” He asked.

“Too busy” she replied.

“Wait.” He signalled.

He went inside. She was sure he would return. She didn’t know anything about this guy but she knew he would return. And he did.

“Should I try?” He asked.

“You’re welcome to.” She beckoned.

She saw him count up to her window and smiled. “Three-zero-four” she signalled.

 He nodded and left the balcony. She waited with baited breath. This was the first time she was going to see him in person instead of through a window sill. She had no idea what she was going to do once he came over. She couldn’t even make tea properly let alone offer him snacks.

Even before she could end her train of thoughts the doorbell rang. Nervousness filled her and the stench from the kitchen did not help. She tiptoed through the mess and opened the door. She saw him smiling at her. She welcomed him and apologized for the trouble.

“Stop apologizing. It’s what friends are for.” He said.

“Well I’m lucky to have a friend like you. What’s your…”

“Uff! The place is reeking of slime. It’s broken since the morning, huh?” He intervened.

“Yeah! It’s been horrible.” she sighed.

“But you look great!” he quipped and smirked.

“Stop teasing me! I know I look horrible!” she said as he moved towards the sink.

“Have you got a piece of cloth or something I can tie this up with?” He asked.

She sprinted across and reappeared with a rag. She handed it over to him.

“There! That should do it till the plumber comes. Now, where’s the… ah, there it is!” he said as he picked up the mop lying strewn about on the middle of the kitchen floor and started cleaning.

“Thanks a lot. I don’t know how I can repay you for this.” She said, trying to help him.

“You don’t have to. I’m your friend and you’re mine. Just be there for me like I’ve been there for you, which, I hope I have.” He said and prepared to leave.

“Don’t worry I’ll be there for you too.” She said.

He smiled and left. She didn’t completely understand what just happened. But whatever it was it was really good. She felt much better than she did before. Maybe it was because the sink was fixed. Or maybe just knowing that someone was out there, looking out for you, made her feel secure about herself. It’s always nice to have friends, but its better when you have friends who care a great deal about you. She forgot all about her problems and was a lot happier because the “mess in the kitchen” was cleaned. For the first time, since a very long time she smiled to satisfaction.

(This post is inspired and dedicated to, but not totally based upon, a real incident. All characters in this post are purely fictional and any resemblance to anyone alive or dead is purely coincidental. The incompleteness is intentional and I intend to keep it like that. Please leave your feedback in the form of comments and help me improve. Thank you for bearing with me.

P.S This is a new genre I’m trying. So please cope with the gaffes and help me out by commenting.)