Page 94 - Montfort Magazine 21-22

HEAL THE HABITAT

Dear tomorrow me, taste the extensive grassy ground at that moment?”
You know as well as I, I am just as ordinary as the So basically, the aforementioned banner would morph
girl sleeping in the next apartment: I cannot predict into a seamless fabric, woven with multiple threads
the future. But I can anticipate you. With multiple of nauseating confusion. Yet, not wanting to make an
variables accounted for and an essay full of maybes, utter brobdingnagian fool out of yourself (a gutless
I can dot down a pretty impressive routine that you coward, in the case of my dad), you would take a
would wake up thinking of following. It will be a huge step, and the rest of your walk would be you
school day, your first. You would wake up early and manifesting the alien-blessed protagonist in “Koi...Mil
perhaps manage to convince your mom not to put Gaya’’.
anything out of the sphere of “cool” food in your The sequence of events after you would try to melt
lunch box: no fruits, no veggies, and God forbid, away a very metaphoric glue off of your feet at
no parathas and rotis. Then you would sit in the car the door of your classroom is a mystery to me too.
with Dad, tune into Ed Sheeran’s ‘’Tides’’, and slowly Millions of variables at every tick of a second. Loud
the surroundings would fade into a broad banner inner breaths and possible fake laughs.
supporting the letters of the spelling of the name of Nevertheless, looking at those blue walls and
your new school. scattered stationery, what you would know is that that
Dad being him, would bat away any creases peeking would be your new home. That you would spend the
above your mask, coming from you chewing on your last two years of the most crucial phase of life in that
lips. You being you, would then try to converse in a room and one similar to it. That you shouldn’t stress,
language that you pretend you don’t know when it is there is no way you would know if you were right to
just a dialect-broth of stupidity, nervousness, and well, be there. No way to know if that place would prove
mostly stupidity. Dad will then agree with the latter to be magical. But home is where the heart is, and at
and tell you to move it. Stepping out, you would try to that moment, it will be there.
fix the loose blue straps of your bag that dig in your A classroom is nothing without kids like you wearing
shoulder blades. I am not entirely sure, but maybe you silly uniforms, and you will be overwhelmed wearing
would like the numbness that will spread down your one yourself. It sounds cheesy, but in all seriousness
arms. It will be a new yet dreadful reminder of the and truthfulness, it will be your new habitat- one that
tedious climbs up the stairs with your hefty bag and will heal you, one that you will heal. We all will.
the bribes you used to pass along for anyone to carry Then, maybe someone will escort you to your seat, or
it up for you. you will search for one alone. Anyhow, while walking
Even after being at the same place thrice: once for down the aisle, remember this letter, that at the very
admission, second for PTM, and third for a half- end of, we learn two things: heart and habitat. You
failed attempt at proving your superior social skills at will get both.
practice, you would freeze pondering about a billion
ways it could go wrong. “What if we all still are the
mini meanies we used to be in middle school, and With sickening optimism,
I am a teddy bear on a war ground?” “What if the Sayjal Soni
teacher asks something and my wisdom decides to 11-B

94 | MONTFORT SCHOOL - DELHI