The Revolution

The Revolution

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“Another revolution completed, and another year gone by,” quipped Prakash, as he and Jay clink their glasses, their eyes staring at the illuminated city which they watched from their room up above the hills.

“Yes, but I always wonder…,” Jay began speaking but was forced to pause, as the large sip, he took overwhelmed both his throat and mouth.  With the content of the glass dripping on his chin, he looked around, before wiping it off with his palms.

Prakash waited, shaking his head slowly, looking forward to hearing from his friend, in what could probably turn out to be an epiphany he had been longing to hear for since they started their session of revelry amidst the hoopla around the change of dates and consequent year which will now be known by a new number.

Putting the glass on the table but still staring at it as the faint light of the lone bulb in the room reflected from it, he started speaking in a reflective tone.

“How do we know for sure, if one revolution is complete.”

“I mean exactly today.”

“Does earth also follow the calendar like us?”

Jay was stone-faced as he spoke, showing no emotion as he expressed his thoughts.  It was as if he wanted Prakash to explain if he agrees and if there was any scientific basis to it. 

However, even before he could listen to the reply, something else also hit his head which he wanted to empty before letting his friend answer.

“I also wonder how you mark out the start and end point on a shape like earth.”

“Is it possible and does earth also feel a similar elation the way we people do, celebrating what could be just one of the zillion or more other things in this universe; why do we have to single out this particular phenomenon,” he added and took a long sigh, before picking up the glass and emptying it in one large gulp. 

He now waited for Prakash, for both, to answer what he asked and to finish his glass so they could begin the next round.

People who drink are obnoxiously law-abiding, restraining themselves from breaking what at the most are unwritten rules with no established authority to ensure compliance.  But the rules are still followed, probably some higher force is the authority here.  I think, there is a lot our administration can learn from this and create more law-abiding citizens.

“I want to answer but, I don’t remember your first question,” replied Prakash, also feeling the pressure to empty his glass, seeing Jay stare unblinkingly at the bottle now.

“What….,” asked Jay.

“The first question, huh,” he murmured.

“Hmm,” he took a long breath, his eyes settling back on the bottle, after glancing at Prakash’s glass; the skin of his cheeks creasing, as he noticed it was close to getting empty.

“The first question, huh” he repeated as if reminding himself. 

The effort to remember what was uttered seemed painful as the mind remained focused on what he thought could have been their fourth round, but because of the slow pace of his friend, they were still stuck on the second.

 “Yes, what was your first question,” repeated Prakash, gesturing to refill the glasses; his face breaking into a subtle smile, proud of what he spoke about and somehow enjoying the pleasure of delaying his friend’s desire to empty the bottle before the clock strikes 12.

“First question, or the first peg,” murmured Jay, while quickly filling up his and Prakash’s glass and still staring at the bottle awkwardly.

Finally, he stretched back on the chair while staring at the twinkling lights of the city. A loud sigh emanated as he closed his eyes after another large gulp emptying more than half his glass in the process and nodded his head.

“Can you see the moon,” he asked, as Prakash nodded, his eyes moving from Jay’s face to the sky as they peeped through their large window.

“Why does it keep changing its size, can’t it stay what it is?

“Why does it need to change itself every day, huh,” asked Jay as Prakash felt, this probably wasn’t what he asked first.

“Are you sure, this was what you asked first” wondered Prakash?

“Hmm, what sure?”

“You sure, this was your first question?”

“What first question?”

“Was this, what you asked first?

“What did I ask first,” fired Jay.

“What were we discussing before,” asked Prakash, trying to steer the discussion back to where they started.

“I want to know, why did you bring only one bottle,” asked Jay, his mind suddenly turning towards what he felt will not last even the next round now.

“I don’t think this is right” he continued.

 “Let’s get one more of it and then I will tell you everything,” announced Jay.

“Everything….,” repeated a bewildered Prakash, his tone matching up to Jay’s.

“Yes, everything”

“Why Shweta broke up with you, why I stole your chemistry book, and how I managed to give a treat to the entire class by selling your books.”

Prakash stared at Jay as if he were looking at an alien, surprised he did all this to him, but he still considers him his best friend.

“You sold my books, and you are the one why Shweta broke up with me,” he asked softly, his tone, gravitating towards being helpless.

“All for your good my friend, all for your good” repeated Jay as if to emphasize his saintly nature and hugged him tightly.

Prakash was still thinking about something else but forgot what it was as they embraced each other and suddenly fell on the carpet below unable to maintain their balance as they stretched out of their chairs.

The floor was strewn with snacks and spilled drinks they were having.

“Friends, man, friends,” the two spoke in unison loudly.

As they lay on the floor, the moonlight lit up their faces; they breathed heavily after what they felt was just two rounds of drinks, which somehow still finished the bottle, they thought will carry them through the night.

“I think I remember what I asked first,” Prakash suddenly murmured.

“Me too,” replied Jay, nodding his head, and hitting the floor repeatedly as he did do.

“I asked about why you left your first job, huh, how could I forget it,” he smiled, unable to believe he couldn’t recollect his own utterings.

“No, No, No…..,” Jay shot back, softly, even as his “No” stretched for far too long.

“It was some kind of evolution, you asked about,” he murmured slowly, as his eyes began closing on their own.

“Evolution, huh,” Prakash also muttered slowly.

He then suddenly jumped up, his body was still trying to balance itself as he stood tremulously and announced in a loud voice.

“I remember what I asked first now.”

“Why does earth….hmmm, why does earth,”

“Why is it smaller than the Sun,” said Jay and stretched his hands to help Prakash, lie down comfortably on the floor, as they soon begin snoring. The clock struck 12 and as the world celebrated another revolution of the earth around the Sun, the two friends, lay down on the floor, waiting for a new day and a new year!

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