Return ticket

"Sir, we need you to leave, there are going to be no trains today" said the firefighter. "I just need to sit for a while he replied, I'm tired", he replied in his quavering voice. "Well, there's not too much I need to do now", he said to himself, winding his watch backward. "Yesterday's day and 830 am precisely". He sat straight on the wrought iron chair in the waiting room, and after a deep breath, shut his eyes tight. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, and then gradually the familiar suffocating feeling unfolded all over him. He was tempted to open his eyes, but he knew only too well to avoid doing so. The feeling heightened, the air around him getting scarce and the blood in his body rushing upward to his head. It felt like a free-fall, head first.

After what seemed like minute, he opened his eyes slowly, looking around him. It was the same waiting room at the central station, and all seemed exactly like it had before he had come in that moring. He pulled himself up to his feet and took a few steps before asking a passerby the date, "11th" he replied, perfect. He quietly trotted over to public phone by the side of the road outside the station, dropped in a coin. He waited a moment and then spoke "Honey, good morning, It's me. Why don't you skip going to work today?... For my sake", "I'm outside the station, and I don't want you to come here" he said, his voice shaking a little.

My gift

"Guess?" she asked, cupping her palms over something I couldn't see but could distinctly smell. Now, I don't know the word for it but I suppose there is one to describe the feeling you have when something's at the tip of your tongue. "Again?" I asked, this time taking a deeper, concentrated inhale. 

I've always considered my olfactory sense far superior to that of the rest of mankind's, something like that of the guy in that perfume movie, and I often felt like a dog about it. As a child I remember having 4 or 5 distinct smells from my mother's handkerchiefs depending on what mood she was in when she last used it. It was something I considered at par with my eyesight, sometimes better. Today however, it wasn't letting me in that easily. I held my breath for a few seconds, shutting off every other smell and then "one last try" I said inhaling deeply.

At once I started to see it, like i'd seen it years ago or sometime that I couldn't be sure of but I'd seen it. "It's your grandfather right?" I said opening my eyes slowly. A brief pause followed "er.. yes, my granduncle actually, but how did you know?" she said, " He died years before any of us was born. You haven't even met him."

"I have" I replied, "I have.."

Bugs

Honey, I’m not g in the bath. don’t come lowi lookin for me, n don’t call me, im tryin tobei not to talk. that’s why dint call u. there’s been a lot of shit while u were away. 

Icalled I know the house mus be smelling burn like shit by now. that’s coz I been using the pestiside thing all over the place.. crazy number of insects all round the place. dint even fuckin letme sleep in peace last night. therewkeeps crawlin all over my body n hair. or maybe its my head I dono. used to feels better each time I have a dru drag but now that doesn’t seem to make any difference. Im jus gonna fill the tub with water n lie in there for a while, doesnt look like they’re the water insects.. im okay dont call the doc or anything. n if u need the insects spray use ther one in kitchen, I’d taken it to mix in thre my coffee.

Love

J

The first customer

"Being a barber isn't great, believe me" he said snipping away with his long brass scissors. The warm morning sun kissing the cream-coloured decor of the salon created a soft glow on his face "spending long hours here alone gets to me... In fact I look at myself so much in the mirror, that I've forgotten how much weight I've lost recently" he said, dusting off his crisp white apron.

"It's good to have known faces like you coming in once in a while, I can at least be myself".. "You came here..." He paused for a second before picking up the spray "well let's see, more than a month ago wasn't it?, You've started shaving by yourself I've noticed. No wonder you cut yourself so much.." He said, biting into his sandwich "Now, I didn't mean to say that because business is doing badly but then, you know... even if it was a salon & spa for the elite" he smiled wryly, sipping into his coffee.

"Thinking of it, I'll let you in on a little secret-" he said, lowering his voice. "I've been having these strange thoughts..." The door flung open just then, creaking noisily. He couldn't see who it was, the sunlight flaring outside was hard on his eyes."Ah!, good morning sir!" he exclaimed, a second later "Come in, You're the first customer today!".

Rescheduled

I'm never usually late for my appointment with the dentist. It's just a belief, nothing more. I like to reserve the last saturday of every month for a check up, it's good because it never conflicts with most of my weekly or monthly routine or lifestyle whatsoever.

Last Saturday however, was an exception. I was to attend the shareholders annual luncheon at the club and it quite skipped my mind until the week before. I promptly called the clinic and asked for the appointment to be rescheduled to Friday evening the same week. What I dint foresee was the chaos that ensued that Friday. Like they'd say, it was just not my day.

I wrapped up with work only by 7:45 pm on that Friday and must have sleepwalked home- completely forgetting about the appointment. It was while having my light dinner of coconut rice with prawns salad that I remembered I had to call to re-reschedule the appointment. Needless to say, I slumped into bed right afterward.

The next day at the luncheon, I decided I'll skip the customary high-tea and head to the dentist's. It was already making me uncomfortable. When I parked outside the clinic it must've been nearing 4:30 pm, and unusually hot for that time of the year. I pushed open the large glass doors of the clinic to be greeted with a gush of cold air from the air-conditioner. I smiled at the receptionist as she looked up at me "I'm sorry I missed it yesterday, I was wondering if the doctor was free sometime now?" I asked, while throwing a cursory glance at the celebrity calendar on the wall behind her. "Friday, 26th" it read.

Deja Vu

Last week, I woke up one morning at around 5:15 am or so. I was startled by the kind of dream I'd had. Like most dreams, I could only retain fragments of it in my memory and as time went by, the more i tried to recollect, the more did I find the details slipping out. It was something about me visiting my neighbourhood cake shop and for inexplicable reasons, escaping through the basement. The cake shop in our neighbourhood doesn't have a basement.

Saturday of the same week marked the 6th year at our current apartment and I wanted to pick up a walnut cake. An excuse to visit the cake shop, I thought. I remembered to stop by after work that evening and walked into the shop. The big lady behind the counter gave me a warm smile. "I'd like a walnut cake please, 500 grams" I said, looking around to spot the dark brown sponge coated with nuts.

I'd just finished paying for it when I noticed the familiar silvery-grey sedan pulling up in front of the shop. "No!" I thought, running into him was the last thing I wanted right now. Not after I'd told him I was abroad at the moment. "Is there another way out of here" I asked her leaning urgently over the counter. Grabbing my bag and the cake, I was already on my way out through the kitchen door before she could respond. "Way to Basement" the sign on the stairs read.