My Life goes on.(not that i didnt expect it to. It just does.)

6th december. Borjatri of a brother who is relation to me is so complicated that i wont bother explaining.
We boarded the bus at around 12noon at Lake Town. The bus cleared the boundaries of Kolkata within 15 minutes, a remarkable feat considering the bus once carried Mahatma Gandhi.A small placard said so.
But the racket created when 15 bengali auntys congregate is truly something to behold, i found out yet again. And when as many uncles decide to join then well, i gently put the earphone in my ears and got lost in Pink Floyd.
My mother shot some meaningful glances at me. I understood that since it was the bus so she had restricted herself to glances and she wanted me to socialise. I thought i'll tell her someday that i could talk to her like psychics, just eyes, no words.
With a heavy heart i joined them. The person whose age was closest to me was snoozing lightly in his mothers arms so i didnt have any great excuse of private talks to make my escape. Pity.
I was rather surprised when i caught someone talking about results, disturbing my concentration at the crucial point when i was about to conclude my thesis on the erratic behaviour of the baby's little finger. The topic had turned to results. I smiled at them all just as someone asked me about my result. i was about to enthrall the audience with a detailed account of my physical science paper when my mum said" He did okey for a change.".I shot her a withering look. I dont know if she caught that look or not but the next second she said something and my hear sank faster than Titanic.
"His Life Science is pa..." She began.
I desperately looked around for ideas to avoid her finishing the sentence. My eyes fell on the baby now awake and looking at my with interest.I also looked at him with interest. And then i pinched him.
At once he cried out loudly, loud enough to disrupt the conversation that was heading towards dismal topics. I immediately took him from his mother and made a racket trying to calm him but in reality hoping to do the reverse. i thought about trying to fling him in the air, that always cheered up babies but decided otherwise. The bus was moving at around 60km and although i trusted newton implicitly i didnt feel like testing inertia of motion on that baby. And then there was the complication of his mother who woudnt be too pleased if inertia of motion didnt work out.

Melodramatic, i know but it did have the desired effect. When i checked again, they were talking about Buddhadeb Bhattachargee's idiosyncrasies.

2 o'clock. Additional company.

I was jolted awake. I looked up from the seat, glad to see a number of cousins climbing up. Some company at last. Along with them boarded a certain number of merry folks who looked like they could make this journey eventful. Within the hour someone came up with the phenomenal idea of singing and dancing. I sank lower into the seat.My mum looked at my seat and frowned not seeing my head. She considered it a personal insult if her son didnt participate in the proceedings. My feelings are methodically ignored and obliviously trampled upon.
Anyway while i stuffed the earphones and congratulated myself on avoiding detection my little cousin brother jumped up on my lap and began singing. I couldnt hear because David Gilmore was playing the guitar exceptionally well just then.So i patted him.
His singing attracted "a mama". I say "a mama" because my dad called him "mama". He couldnt give me a particularly satisfactory reply when i asked him how was he related to me, so i settled for "mama" too.
"Reek! come here and dance!" he said as if thats what i had been begging him to let me do that for the past fortnight.
I was still quite deaf so i nodded and smiled idly. he apparently took that for assent and pulled me out of my seat and made me stand in the middle of well, everything.
I realised my mistake too late. I will never forgive Pink floyd.
"Rick dada, dance!" said my evil young cousin
"Yes Rick, I have heard that you dance well! Show us!" said a complete stranger.i looked at him suspiciously, where did HE learn such blasphemy?
"Misinformation" i said."i cant dance"
"Oh c'mon, dont be such a wimp" said my trigger happy cousin holding a camera. My fingers were itching to shoot him and not with a camera either.
"Then how about a song? You used to sing before." said my cousin with an innocent face. I saw through it right away. It wasnt innocent enough.
"I dont. used to,yes."
"i dont know, You have to do something!" said my gran's sister, finally showing her true colours. My mum smiled at me encouragingly. I looked around hopelessly for some bright idea but none came in that hour of brightness.
What followed was well,...i leave it to your imagination.