BIG BOXES FOR NOTHING

Maya: Illusion.

Abhay: Fearless.

Maya raises her head from the bed hunting for the clock. She already regrets lying down for so long and half-believes that the clock will show 11 a.m. However, it’s half past eleven in the morning of a hot Wednesday in Calcutta - A Wednesday morning when she should be fantasizing about writing in some place in the city. But enough with the complaining! Regrets are worth nothing!

Yesterday, Maya and Abhay bought something for breakfast. A carton of skimmed milk, whole wheat bread, extra crunchy peanut butter, Nutella, green tea and a box of Kellogg’s, mango flavored. The breakfast cereal’s box is huge. While opening it, Maya discovers that the content of the box is almost half its capacity. It is a terrible disappointment.

“Abhay, I can’t bear being cheated this way.” Maya can’t avoid laughing ironically while she shows the half-empty box to Abhay.

“Big boxes for nothing!”

From Abhay’s mouth comes out these words perfectly combined as a halo of decadence acceptation. Abhay just naturalized these little jokes that the system, we have chosen to belong, plays on us. Even though Abhay gives up saying, “Big boxes for nothing”, he’s aware of the defeat it means, but there’s nothing to be done.

“They always need to call on us for their own benefits. We’re sold out and we let them colonize our space.”

“Why are you feeling this way? Because you bought the big Kellogg’s box? Why didn’t you go with the home made cornflakes from the market? You can also make some paratha and chai sometimes.”

Maya smiles.

“Baby!” Abhay feels sympathy for her but in a way he gets seduced by her ingenuity. “I know what you mean. Rebels at home but on the road, we’re still stuck. Hypnotized by the social order.”

“Yep.” Maya gives up.  “Complaining and complaining…”

A big silence reigns. Maya remains seated on the table while Abhay is clearing the table. She is gazing at the cornflakes box.

“Anyway.” Definitely, Maya doesn’t give up. “I’m still upset. I carried a Kellogg’s cereal’s box of about two shoes boxes size to reach home, opened it and found approximately two mugs of cornflakes that probably will last five more days.”

“You’re exaggerating Maya.”

Three days have been gone since “big boxes for nothing” and there are no cornflakes left.

“Abhay!” Maya shouts.

She finds that the Kellogg’s box is empty in the kitchen’s shelf.

“Why the hell do you keep the empty cornflakes box in the shelf?” She yells at him.

Jordi Boldú.  New Delhi, June 28, 2011