All About Me

I live in a one-room flat. It was affordable and a man with no children can only rely upon his own income and needs.

It's not very decorated

One bed, one wardrobe, one table and a chair  

The only proof someone lives there is the discarded coffee cup or the home delivery receipt in the dustbin 

The table had my wife's pictures, she passed away about 10 years ago. I cannot keep track of time now

Friends are there till the front door 

Inside the room reside a dull light from the light bulb hanging from the centre of the room. My apartment is on the 4th floor, there are only two apartments beside each other but that's it.

One night when I came home from work, I heard some noises from the apartment beside me, at first I didn't pay any heed 

I went and sat on the bed with a glass of water when I heard a woman's voice 

"It's your fault! I don't like the colour purple " 

A man answered in a defeated manner 

" you could have said so, I would have exchanged the necklace for something you like"

before he could finish the woman spoke now more agitated.

" It's been 7 years now!!! You still don't know my favourite colour?" she sounded almost disappointed. The man spoke with rush now " I am done. Either keep the necklace or throw it I don't have any time for you" and then it was silence. A heavy suffocating silence fell, though my apartment is almost silent excluding the few cooking noises and the television running this silence of what happened behind that very wall on which I lean grasp my very soul, I kept my ears for some more time but no sounds were heard. Waking up the next morning, yesterday night incident again knocked on my mind, I sat a little more than usual thinking about it which resulted in my first late day in my 30 years of office life. When I again returned home after work I had forgotten about the argument, I washed my face and sat on my bed to rest a little I again heard a noise, it was a low music piano it seems to play softly on a speaker and shuffle of feet, two pair of feet. I heard the woman speak " oh how lovely the full moon is ! As lovely as those big brown eyes of yours" she sounded so naive and in love, and the man answered " it's like that same day when I married you under the stars" it sounded as if they were just beside me almost whispering in my ears and then... it was again silence, it felt deafening and my apartment felt a little more lonely than it usually is. I felt like I lose my will to eat and retired to bed early looking forward to tomorrow night. I woke up a little early with a happy hop in my steps, everyone at the office was bewildered by my odd behaviour but I pay no heed to them. I came back a little early from work and waited and this time I heard plates smashing and shouts " YOU EVIL MAN HOW DARE YOU IMPLY THAT I CHEATED !" the man with the same force said, " then who gave these to you!!" The woman cried I can only hear her and the man's heavy breathing and then it was silence. I sprang from my position, what happened? They were good tomorrow now what happened? I went to sleep with many questions. The next day I went to the office with a sullen expression. Again a night came, this night I heard the man " look at this picture I clicked this on our 3rd anniversary " the woman said, " yes I remember, and this was during our 2nd anniversary isn't it ?" No answer came, it was again silence. I went to bed determined and with a promise, I will go to my neighbour's apartment tomorrow for a friendly visit. The next morning it was Sunday, as I woke up and had breakfast I recollected yesterday's incident, with a calm and determined mind as I opened the door, I came face to face with Mr Moitra, our secretary he asked me with a smile "Mr Basu I have a good news " I asked him " what is it?" " your neighbour is moving in tomorrow, I came here to see the renovation of the flat" and I saw him pointing towards that same apartment which I was going to approach and I asked, " A couple lives there, don't they ?" 

And Mr Moitra with a strange look told me " couple? That apartment had been empty for 6 years! " I with a strange disappointment said " but I hear them every night" and Mr Moitra answered with a strange fear " Mr Basu you are mistaken, no one lives here "