049: S1E13: 26 MISSED CALLS: DEPRESSION

Roopali checks grandpa’s breath, it is flowing very-very slow. Grandma asks her not to disturb him but she can’t wait to show her new jewellery. She nudges him; he opens his eyes and sees a face covered with a magnificent yellow “pichhoda” with elaborate red dots. She moves it sideways to reveal that ‘nath’, he is forced to close his eyes again by glare of the sun's reflection on gold. “I should have not sent two women by themselves on shopping,” says grandpa, unable to hide his happiness.

A few days have passed and ‘what next’ is coming to her mind again and again. Loss of opportunity is not allowing her to be at ease. She is becoming restless day by day. She has got no friends in the city and she needs to talk to someone. One evening she goes on a walk by herself. Her eyes are searching for the boy from the bus. She goes to the tea shop but he is not there. She describes the boy to the shop keeper but he is unable to tell anything by appearance. She does not know his name; she never asked. He wanted to tell them about him but they didn’t listen. She is cursing herself for not caring about him. She seems to have lost him as well.

She comes home, her mind is absent from the present. Thoughts of the boy are becoming prominent in her mind. She isn’t worried about her career any more. Grandma has prepared dinner and asks Roopali and grandpa to come and eat. Roopali doesn't listen. “What happened to my child?” she asks with affection. “Nothing grandma,” she hides her disappointment. Her face has lost its charm and voice has become weak. “Tell me about it beta, I can make out from demeanour. “What shall I do next,” says Roopali. “Forget about next, you shall get married, my daughter,” Grandma repeats her banter. Grandpa and grandma have finished their food and gone. On the dinner table, Roopali is still sitting with her head downwards, her finger is making an unending circle on the plate with remains of food. There are no thoughts in her mind but she doesn’t know what she is doing. Grandma comes to turn off the lights and notices Roopali there. Grandma starts crying, “what has happened to my granddaughter?” Grandpa comes after hearing her voice and asks, ”Roopali, do you know how long you are sitting here and playing on the plate.” Roopali wonders, “no, what happened.” “It is an hour, go to bed,” Grandma shouts. Roopali goes to bed, she opens a book and starts reading. She gets a ball pen. She first makes a flag and then another flag on top of it and another and another …. Page is filled with many such flags. She turns the page, she barely reads a paragraph and her right hand automatically moves to make a drawing of a boy. Page is filled with many such drawings and the text on the page is hardly visible. She flips the pages and continues… The book is still not finished and the morning 5 o’clock alarm rings on the table clock.