Just Another Weekend

The afternoon was just like any other Saturday afternoon, when the world was waiting for the weekend’s excitement to kick in. The bars, the shopping malls and the cinemas were deserted with only the pigeons contributing to the hustle bustle. A walk through the neighborhood would just let one witness the harmonious cacophony of television sets, which kept the half-awake people busy till they transformed into the party animals in the evening.

The weekend for Henry was the same too. He repeatedly tapped the remote control, letting the channels change. Every now and then there would be a channel that would be outrageously loud in volume, but there was no one to cry out to him, to lower the volume. For him the television set was like a shamelessly outspoken lady who just kept him distracted from his own loneliness.

This is enough, Henry thought flicking the remote on the couch. A nice little thought crept into his mind, there was an outburst of enthusiasm and he picked up the phone to make some calls. After a series of calls, he waited. Soon Henry was answering a series of knocks with a welcoming expression. By the evening, when everyone was getting out of their homes, the party at Henry’s place had just begun.

There was Mark, Terry and even the usually lazy Frank. There was beer and there were pizzas. The evening was turning into a beautiful night accompanied by songs and some mild dancing. After the beers kicked in, the old men became the young boys they once used to be. First it was the lazy Frank, then Mark and finally Terry who actually dozed off while describing his puppy love for his art teacher back in school.

Henry wasn’t really sleepy; he was just looking at the three drunk faces around him, three old men who were sleeping like babies. He felt an urge to cry in happiness for it was only these three guys who made him feel at home. Maybe because all four of them were just walking the same roads, in fact, not walking but still making their way through life together.

Henry never realized when he went to sleep. In the morning Terry shook him to wake him up, “Hey you, you forgot to turn off the lights last night” he said.

Henry saw that all of them were wide awake and preparing to leave. He went outside to see them off, as they made promises to party harder next weekend. With the final wave of goodbye, they parted ways. Three wheel chairs began making their way through the side walk and one wheel chair rolled back into the house.