Chapter 3 - Parallel Universes

 

Chapter 3 - Parallel Universes

                A famous physicist in 1950 stated that we are living in a multiverse of countless universes, full of copies of each of us. In other words, somewhere in the multiple galaxies that exist, there is another earth where another copy of me exists. who dreams about Raina, who watches her closely, admires her every move, and rushes early to the office just so that he gets to speak to her for a couple of minutes. People who find themselves in this situation frequently have low self-esteem. Irrespective of what the movies say to lift up your spirits, you still feel the same because it makes you feel so miserable from the inside. The intense desire to be with someone, to be a part of their lives, to be acknowledged as the one worthy of love makes you feel worthless. The next few days were lonely; I relied heavily on the company's transportation. I used to schedule myself early to come to the office just to catch a glimpse of Raina. My manager eventually became a pain for me. I soon realized I wasn’t that great with authority. Soon my shift changed to an extreme closing, and our floors changed. Eventually, I gave up on Raina. It just seemed like a lost cause. One day, I reached home tired, only to find my cousin at home waiting for me. "You look like shit," a voice said. I turned to see my cousin sitting outside, smoking. "When did you come?" I said. I was excited. It had been ages since I had spoken to her. "I spoke to your mom last night. "She was telling me that you sound awfully dull these days," she said as she lit a cigarette. I nodded, saying, "Mom's just thinking that way, trust me, I’m fine." I went into the kitchen to make coffee for us. She followed behind me after a change of clothes. She patted me on the back to break my focus from daydreaming and said, "Mr. Salvador, the great guitarist. "Who is this running through your mind?" "Stop it!" I exclaimed nervously. There is no one on my mind. I was just wondering about the expenses. "There are a lot more things to buy." Lana Francis Salvador, my cousin and my uncle's second child, always hid her loneliness under the pretense of her hip life. Her parents were separated, and her uncle used to travel to different countries, finding opportunities and businesses to earn more money. When the time came for him to return home, It turned out that he had none. Aunt had moved the children to her mother's house. Uncle came back home, filed for divorce, and started living with Grandpa for a few days. After starting his business, he moved into a new house. Kids never had a chance to understand him. Later, they stopped making the effort. Lana was the only one who found her way back to her father to mend her relationship with him. Uncle was ecstatic and lavished her with gifts and money. Between aunt and uncle, Lana soon found too much freedom and money, which eventually bought bad friends, bad relationships, and more loneliness. She was the cousin with whom I felt the most connected of all the cousins. Irrespective of the age gap or the distance, nothing ever kept us from connecting with each other. Soon after our coffee, Lana looked at me and said, "Let’s get some booze." No, I replied with a nod. I got an early login. You know how this work is, and that my manager is not on my side. I don’t want to give him a chance to fire me." She smiled, and said, "Let’s get beers, and we will smoke up a joint." "I am ok with beers, not with joints," I said, picking up my bike keys. We soon picked up two beers each, and I cooked her favorite dish. We ate, drank our beers, and danced like hooligans. I realized my cab would arrive soon after six o'clock in the evening. I figured I’d sleep in the cab. Nevertheless, I was pretty paranoid about the smell. So I went and brushed my teeth, popping a couple of gums in my mouth, while I was frantically getting ready for work. Lana slowly started to roll a joint. When I finally got ready and I walked out of the bedroom, I saw Lana lighting up the joint. She said, "Wanna share?" "Have you ever tried a blowback?" My face changed in reaction to her question. Reluctantly, I said, "No!" "Dude! "There's nothing strange about it; come here and let me show you." Soon Lana took a big drag of the joint, made a passage above the lips with her fingers, and blew the smoke directly into her nostrils. So much smoke just blew my mind away. Soon, we shared the rest of the joint. I heard my phone ring, it was the cab driver. I answered the phone and told the cab driver to wait. Lana and I walked down the stairs after I locked the house. I was high as ever; my eyes were blood red. Lana stopped and looked at me as I turned to her. She said, "You look too stoned. Allow me to insert some eye drops into your eyes. I opened my eyes, and she put the drops in my eyes. There was a burning sensation. I made it down somehow. Lana hugged me and said, "I don’t know what you are struggling with, but I know you are stronger, and everything will work itself out. So don’t worry. See ya brother. Have a great day at work." I smiled as she gave me a grin and got into the cab. Fortunately, the ride was pretty long, and I found a seat right beside the driver. I plugged my earphones in and closed my eyes. Soon I was fast asleep, and the next thing I knew, we were in the office parking lot, and the driver woke me up from my sleep. Though it was a long drive, I still had time for a smoke. As I got out of the cab, I realized that I was still high. I slowly made my way out to the smoking area. I light a cigarette while watching the cars go by. It was like watching a stream of water, soon I was drowning in my thoughts. While I was still sinking into my trip, I heard my name resound in the mesmerizing waves. When I made an attempt to turn around and look, someone shocked me with a sudden hug. The sweet smell of Gabriella Chanel hit my trippy senses, my senses recognized the exact brand and time stood still in that hug. In that span of seconds, my mind was trying to identify that one female who could wear an internationally branded perfume. There was only one person who could hug me without a sense of awkwardness and wear such a costly brand that was Shenaz Nazneen. “Shenaz after such a long time”, words just busted out of my mouth. Shenaz was a widow, a single mother of two gorgeous children. She was a rebel daughter from a stringent Muslim family. Her family disowned her after she married a soldier who was also a Muslim yet from a lower sect. Shortly after her marriage, she pursued her dream of becoming a Disco Jokey. Soon she had to take a step back when she was pregnant with her first child. Eventually, they adopted another baby girl from an orphanage. Life was going pretty well when her husband was called on a mission to serve the country. He later came back wrapped in a flag. She began to search for work to support herself and the kids. Knowing her situation, her parents wanted to take her and the kids home. Shenaz was too proud to depend on her parents. She got a job in an MNC. On the side, she continued her DJ and got paid an extra load of cash to support herself and the kids.