Being Silly

The room had not seen a living soul for years. Completely shut off, it had housed a pungent smell and some spider webs as the only forms of life. It was raining heavily outside. The door shivered along with the wall it was a part of. Fresh breeze entered the room for the first time in ages. One more kick and it almost tore off.

Vikram : Get back, you can’t even kick a door down.

Another kick and the door opened up, the bolt flying in to the room.

Vikram : That's how you do it. Fuck, this room smells. Open the windows.

Pradeep : Open windows? Are you crazy?

Vikram : I don’t want to die of suffocation here. We’ll close them in some time.

Pradeep gave him a disgruntled look and opened the windows. They sat down on the floor by the door.

Vikram : What do we do now?

Pradeep : We wait.

They sat in silence for minutes, Vikram inspecting the spider webs in the room, Pradeep staring at the floor with an unfading gaze. It was still raining heavily outside.

Pradeep : How long have you been in the force? Two years? Atleast learn to live with smell, for God's sake.

Vikram : So says the man who can’t even kick a door down. Three years, is it?

Pradeep glared at him.

Vikram(Laughing) : Relax brother. Just kidding. We need to kill time here. Almost another hour before he arrives?

Pradeep : Yeah. That's the news. See what comes out of your mouth or I might kill you too, you know, along with the time.

Vikram : Ah ! Why are you always so wound up? Easy, I was just joking. You can kick doors down, obviously.

Pradeep : You are just silly.

Vikram : Good, that's what I was aiming for.

Pradeep : What…To be stupid on an operation?

Vikram took a deep breath.

Vikram : Look man. I was just trying to be a little friendly. We need to work together, it would help if we are friends.

Pradeep : And the way to be friends with someone is to act stupid?

Vikram : Exactly. Now you are talking sense.

Pradeep : Shut up.

Vikram : Haha. Think about your best friends. Your closest friends. Who are they?

Pradeep : What do you mean who are they?

Vikram : What I'm saying is everyone knows many other people. Some are mere acquaintances. You know, people you won’t be exactly comfortable stuck in an elevator with. Then there are people bordering on being friends. People who know things about you, not enough to make judgments not so less as to be called strangers either.

Pradeep : Like you and me?

Vikram : Well, yes.

Pradeep : But I make judgments about you. You are too stupid to be in the force.

Vikram : Haha. That's a bias. Not a sound judgment. Anyways, Where were we. Yeah. So then, there are good friends. People you share things about your life with. You dont exactly call them in the middle of their work or at 2 in the night, but you wouldn't mind them calling you.

Pradeep : Chicks?

Vikram : Hahaha. No, no. I mean yeah, everyone. Just not in the depraved manner you mean it.

Pradeep smiled.

Vikram : Good, you are lightening up. That's good.

Pradeep : Hmm. Close the windows now.

Vikram got up and closed the windows.

Pradeep : Carry on.

Vikram : Yeah. So these are guys you tell general stuff about your life. Laugh if they crack a joke, shake hands at the end of a dinner and that's it.

Pradeep : That's good isn’t it. That way you don’t make a fool out of yourself. That's how it should be.

Vikram : And that's the point. People are inherently silly. So the people with whom you can talk rubbish or get drunk knowing they would either take you back safely or pass out with you are the people who matter. With them, you can act silly and stupid because you are not trying to defend a reputation.

Pradeep : What is your point? Stop lecturing me and tell me something sensible if you can?

Vikram : Aah ! Leave it. All I was saying is we could be friends, but you are too much of a thick head. When do we call the back up?

Pradeep : When we see the car. And don’t start shooting the moment you spot the car. We can't let him go. This operation needs to be bullet proof.

Vikram : Don’t worry. I know him.

Pradeep : You come from the same town, isn't it. You must have heard stories about him.

The car stopped outside. The rain hitting the tin of the car made a distinctly different noise.

Vikram : No. It’s just that I have been silly with him.

Pradeep : What?

A shot went off. Vikram stepped outside, closed the door, entered the car and drove away.

The room was restored to its original state. Pungent smell, spider webs as the only form of life and Pradeep's dead body.