Happily Caged

Nothing Has Changed!

Nothing has changed!

I woke up with the annoying sounds of horn and traffic. My mom was already awake. She gave me a morning kiss and told me that we were nearing our destination. So I sat straight and began to arrange my bag.

My dad's childhood friend, Uncle Michel was there in Chennai. He was like a brother to my dad. Uncle Michel was an orphan. My dad was so fond of him that he made my grandparents pay for uncle's education. My dad kept telling me that he was the best friend he ever had. He kept saying their life stories which made me like uncle Michel so much. My dad and my uncle were classmates till college. After marriage, my dad returned to his home town while uncle stayed there in chennai.

Uncle Michel made a frequent visit to my home with his wife Lynda. They have a son named Samuel alias Sam. We were kind of a family. I was so close to uncle and aunt. They treated me as their own daughter. Sam was one year older than me. We were good friends too.

The last time I saw him, he was 12 years old. He was so talented that they wanted him to get a good education. So he was admitted at a residential school in Ooty. I had not seen him in years. Even when his parents came and visited us he never had a chance to come along. The last thing I could remember about him is that he kept fighting with me. We never miss a chance to annoy each other. He was so chubby that I would always pinch and squeeze his cheeks until it became red. He would chase me after that until he loses his breath. It was fun annoying him. We were like Tom and Jerry. I began to wonder if he still remembers that.

I was smiling, remembering those beautiful memories. When my mom asked me the reason for my smile, I just shook my head and took out my mobile phone. I opened the front camera. I saw myself on the phone. My hair is all messy, kajal smudged all around my eyes. I blamed myself for applying it during travelling. I took out a baby wipe and wiped off my smudged kajal. I collected my hair into a messy bun. I least cared about my appearance because I was not in a mood to make myself look good.

The moment I thought about leaving my parents, my heart ached as hell. It felt hard to swallow. It spoiled my mood again. I was going to live in uncle Michel's home for the next four years. Though it was a small relief I could not be happy about it. I was never away from my family. So it was so hard for me. The thought of new college made me shiver even more. But Sam was also in the same college, so it was a relief for a while.

We were about to get down. I carried my heavy traveller backpack. It was twice the size of me. I have even laughed at myself in the mirror carrying that bag. It was unbelievably large. As I was short, it made me look even funnier. I wished these passengers in the bus should not laugh out loud on seeing me.

I got down from the bus. I tried to collect the luggage from my mom and helped her to get down. I heard a deep gentle male voice behind me.

"Hi", it said.

I turned around to see the owner of the voice. There stood a handsome hunk grown so tall that it made it difficult to see his face clearly. My dad gave him a quick tight hug. "Sam, How are you my boy?!!".

The pleasant surprise put a bright smile on my face. He was Sam. He had grown unbelievably tall and handsome. He wore a white shirt. Freshly trimmed beard. Hair thick and black, combed upward. He was so fit. I thought he would be the same chubby boy. But it was obvious that he had worked out a lot.... A hell lot.

"Great Uncle. Good to see you all ", he replied. He then patted my head making even more tangles in my already tangled hair and said "Hey Lia ! How are you doing ?"He was so tall that I was like a little kid standing beside him. Before I could respond he broke into laughter. At first I wondered why. And then I realised why. Anyone with eyes will laugh at my condition. I looked miserable. Damn !! I blamed myself. I should have at least combed my hair, I thought.

"Good", I replied with an irritated tone. How dare he laugh at me? I told myself.

An auto driver was in a hurry that he slightly pushed my backpack out his way. I could not stand on my feet. I jerked a little and was about to fall. Thankfully my dad helped me steady myself.

I heard a chuckle behind me. I turned towards him to see him laughing. He tried so hard to conceal his laugh. But nothing helped. I turned my face away from him in anger.

He has not changed even a little. As usual he loved to annoy me in every way possible. The fact that we were still the same made me truly happy. Then I turned towards him and we exchanged a smile.

Then, he extended his hand forward pointing me to remove my bag and hand it over to him. When I refused, he removed my bag himself. He tossed it in his shoulder. I was pleased by his caring nature. He was carrying it as if it was a feather. He did not strain at all. I was amazed.

We followed him to his car. Then he drove it to his home.

Author's Note:

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. It is good to see them together. The next chapter will be more about Sam and his feelings.

To be honest, I have personally experienced the whole backpack thing in my real life. I would always carry a backpack double the size of me whenever I go home. Tell me in the comments if you have experienced such fun moments.

I would like to thank all my friends who inspired and motivated me to write. Please VOTE. Leave your precious comments and let me know your feedback.

Do check out my friend's work "Forever and ever". Support her. U can find it in my reading list.