23. House’s relative
The sisters remain distant after that day in the house. Ria’s parents will notice a month later that the child has been speaking less and less.
The House receives such, and more of such stupid, vile, idiotic, rascal and sweet creatures every day. Children who meet to decide who should the group injure next, whose cycle to steal next; women who meet to discuss which house is empty now and whether they can ask their brothers and brother-in-laws to come to Delhi to find work; ants who travel in buses and come to form colonies in this house.
The House keeps to itself on most days.
It does not even know what else to do. There is so much anger in the house but it keeps distributing that to the walls, creaking doors, empty tubelight holders, doorknobs, latches, stones in the small garden, fallen leaves which are taken away by NDMC truck every month.
Sometime later, windows crack, ceiling develops cobwebs as the house keeps turning old within, so much so that even after renovation, when the rain comes, House finds ways and means to let it come inside and develop patches on ceiling. This way the House prepares for interfering with daily life and its effect on people.
Once, one of the House’s relative in Chamba even dropped a fan on a man.
The man had been half asleep underneath it when he got up to get water. Earlier in the day, he had slapped his daughter very hard for talking back to him. Sometimes, men do understand what the house is trying to say.
Then the man was shook to the core. He was silent for a few days. He told people about what happened. He got in the electrician to get the wires and fan checked.
There was nothing wrong with the fan or the wiring. But when violence becomes a way of life, a drop of hint from the house isn’t enough for some men to change their ways.
This man changed his way.
He has resorted to fuming in words, abusing everyone in the family.
The house in Chamba whispered to a creaky blue door, in order to scold itself over its inability to deal with such people. The house in Delhi comforted it by making it rain there. The patches that developed in the Chamba House were beautiful commas, saying Ghar.
