There are days when I head to the terrace or balcony, on the odd occasions of a mild drizzle or after rains, or just when I’m bored of being in my room and I see a cement fencing, one portion of which has been broken and removed for a good number of years.
Disclaimer : Any similarity to real people is purely a coincidence.
1. Father and son #1 – Father tries to get overweight, possible gamer, son to play some cricket. A typical conversation would be like this:
Kid : Appa, I’m tired. Let’s take a rest.
Father : But, it’s only been 10 minutes since we came. Come, let’s play.
Kid : Nooo pa. I am tired. *large breath intake*
Father : You play here for an hour and I’ll buy you a chocolate.
2. Father and son #2 – Son is a huge cricket/football/badminton enthusiast. Often a younger kid, who hasn’t yet realized the concept of playing with friends.
Father : Only half an hour today, okay? I have to go to office later.
Kid : But Appa, you say that everytime.
Father : Just one more time, okay?
Kid : *Grumbles and makes best use of it*
3. Trainer with small kids of some celebrity – Two little kids, wearing some branded set of clothes. The girl sits on the fence and refuses to move.
Little girl : You time my shoes and I’ll come. *wiggles feet*
Trainer does the work.
Little girl : I don’t like running.
Trainer : Race against your little brother and we’ll see wins.
Little girl : What will I get if I win?
Trainer : Ask your daddy for anything.
Boy just stands, tugging his shirt and follows the trainer around. Girl eventually wins in a shrieking delight.
4. The couple on the way to/from the beach : I think these people just sit here because it’s got some trees and is a nice place to sit. Especially, if these people decide to go to the beach in the afternoon’s sweltering heat.They just sit and whisper; you can’t hear them talk. The girl of course flips her hair loads of times, while the guy fiddles with his key/key chain.
5. The couple who seem to use this as a meeting spot – To meet conspicuously in the middle of the afternoon away from seemingly all other pairs of eyes. They come prepared usually with a hat and/or dupatta as the case may be. And they pop on the sunglasses as well. Maybe the guy gifts the girl with a new watch. She lets him put it on her hand, and glows with happiness. Or they share a quiet afternoon snack.
6. The tuition kids – The ubiquitous chatter or 11th or 12th standard kids who take up maths tuition. They pile around in mass near the fence and discuss the travails of integration and statistics. Their conversation is always among the funnier ones – bordering on sticking to stereotypes to insane laughter that we all know too well, yes?
Boy 1 : Hey, did you do the problem sir gave for homework, da?
Boy 2 : No da, I’ll just say I tried and I didn’t understand anything.|
Girl 1 : I had so much of work yesterday, I couldn’t do it.
Boy 3 : Hey, I finished two you can copy from me.
Boy 1 : Dude. Are you going to tell sir your marks?
Girl 1 : We have to, no. The other batch told that we got our marks. I’ll say I got 78.
Boy 2 : I know. I can’t tell him I got 55.
Girl 2 : Listen, let’s say highest in class was only 85, okay? And that too, this was by the topper who goes for IIT classes
Girl 1 : Ooh, you know what? I heard X is going out with Y!
Boy 1: What? Poor Z! *jabs at Z with a finger*
Boy 2/Z : Eh, leave it, da.
This could go on, but I’ll leave it be. Just note that, these are also the loudest group!
7. The men – Again a whole different group can be labeled under this tag. Let’s see, there are those sit down for a couple of smokes. Those who just sit and hold hands. Those who use it as a spot to wait for all their other friends. And those who enjoy eating under the tree.
8. The neighbourhood kids – These are the familiar faces from around the streets and neighbouring streets. The said list may also include the cousins of these kids. Apart from knowing their names and to which set of parents they belong, it is quite likely to hear their nicknames as well, being yelled. These kids mostly use the area as a place to rest or as an entry way to the ground or to show off their juvenile jumping skills!
Jumping Gene 