LXI Their world

How much the world has changed .

Maybe it could be safe premise to say that over 3 quarters of the nearly 6 billion people who populate the planet are living a lie. Living on a make believe ecology, that floats on a wafer thin coating of a soap bubble.

But they don’t know they are. 

Annie and Dan had returned to New York. While Annie promptly dived headlong into her Harvard assignments. Dan, remained a bit lost, something inside had started giving him a feeling of restlessness, inadequacy and a general sense of feeling listless. He called up his boss, Hoffman, and requested a few days off which was promptly granted without much fuss.

Daniel was once visited by Brian, they sat down over a drink and virtually ended up drinking right until dawn. Dan took his guitar, they both sang a few songs, Dan also played on his Piano, Brian gave company with vocals and drums ( which was always made available every time Dan had a jam session at home) . Later when Brian left early in the morning , he left feeling a bit concerned about Daniel’s current state of mind. But, he was not sure what was nagging Dan, he , Dan, wasn’t the type to get unnecessarily hung up on anything, but yet Brian felt that something was missing in Daniel’s current state of mind, he was all quiet and remote and listless, kind of lost.

Brian stepped out of Daniel’s Ocean Promenade apartment, did not bother to take his car, instead decided to walk with his compact Canon EOS 5D MKII , into the New York dawn, he lit a weed that he had saved for the occasion, and walked stopping, clicking – the city’s silence seemed creepy, but then he couldn’t resist the urge the catch the sky, opening up – like early warrior horses, silently emerging from an unknown direction, suddenly revealing their shape from a horizon that, just a few minutes back, was caught in complete darkness, the horses and their determined horsemen were galloping, with a single minded focus, in a hurry to reach battle ground, that was still some distance away, and as they galloped they were throwing out thick clouds of dust in magenta, pink, grey and black.     

Brian was clicking away, with his weed hanging out loose from his lips, he knew he was high on both alcohol and weed, and that it wasn’t safe walking around New York in that state of mind, but this one of those moodsets, when he felt like taking the risk, fortunately he hardly saw any cops around, instead he could see a few men and women, equally drunk, walk slow with a swagger and a giggle, snuggling close, he even saw some early bird joggers, cyclists and simple bench sitters besides hermaphrodite whores, looking tired and yet braving it, emerging from darkness, flashing a smile at every passerby and then frowning when they were ignored and went back into the darkness, and then again emerging the moment they saw a headlamp approaching or when they heard footsteps approaching, it was like some kind of an automated ramp walk, some kind of a programmed stage play, that went on and on, for hours, no end.

Brian was amazed at their patience and perseverance, eventually they did succeed, a big car with a few young men, laughing and drunk, gave them a ‘come on’ and then they all drove on happily ever after.     

He managed to click them too – with them in all their fairy queen glory. So did he manage to catch some of the young and old New Yorkers who strayed into his camera’s vision.

Brian was lost in his coverage of the New York dawn. He was probably at least more than a few miles away from Dan’s apartment, and then he realised he had left behind his mobile phone at Daniel’s place and so immediately looked for a taxi  and soon found one.

Brian, stepped out of the elevator, the apartment corridor was quite, he walked towards Dan’s apartment and was surprised to find the door ajar, open for all, the lights were all on, still, Dan’s head lying on the Piano keys, he was sleeping, sitting on his Piano stool – drunk and smoked out.

Completely lost to the entire world.

The New York sun was emerging, Brian caught its brilliant reflection on the ocean, and started searching for his mobile, until he found it next to the drum assembly.

He thought of waking up Dan. But then later decided against it. And then walked out again.

Without bothering to close Dan’s apartment door. He just sauntered to the elevator and then was gone.

Danny stirred a bit and the Piano keys tinkled and then howled as he shifted his position.

The sound did not even remotely register on Dan’s consciousness.

He continued sleeping on the piano.

The instrument groaned once a while.

Again the feeling of the strange and the remote and disconnected returned, pervasive in its omnipotence.

Here they were, a group of young, adults – who were not your run of the mill, young adults. They were all well educated, extremely talented, employed in enviable professions, earning well, having a life with an all found menu – but yet here they were living in an island all their own, almost always indulging in alcohol, drugs, dope and ending up lonely. Here they were, struggling, without love, without faith without knowing why they went about doing what they were doing – they just went about doing it.

It was as if they were they just bound to do those things. Like Jesus was bound to be God’s child. The generation of the Dan's, the Annie's & the Brian's – they were all a generation from a strange poppy land.

They were intelligent, creative, talented . Could survive doing several different things at the same time. They travelled the world, visiting places that many could only aspire to travel - yet they were lost. 

They worked hard, and were recognised as the best available talent in their field, they excelled yet at the end of it all – they had to find refuge , by drowning themselves in a sea of alcohol and dope.

But, New York was so large – it was like Mars.

The city seemed like it had two moons and still it had no major tidal waves to worry about.

New York.

Daniel rolled again, this time shifting his weight like he was moving a boulder – the Piano howled.

But Daniel had no knowledge of the sound. He continued sleeping with his head rested on the Piano. 

His flat remained wide open from the entrance through to the ocean.

The dazzling New York Sun was soon consumed by a dragon like dark mass of nimbus clouds, throwing thick sheen's of shimering bright molten silver on the edges completely darkening a good part of the sky.

New York. had no time to even notice such celestial non sense.       

It just tumbled on. Like an eternally spinning laundromat. 

Dirty linen, washed and clean.