Contents on him: one half eaten cookie with blood on it

The smell of anise, cinnamon, and allspice filled the apartment of the Tajmatan family on the morning of December the twenty-second. While the Indian family did not celebrate Christmas, the American way of life began to replace their traditions they had practiced in New Delhi.

Jonah opened his eyes and got out of his bed, he expected the cold air to hit him. But instead, warm air and sweet smells greeted him. He sensed the faux American Christmas spirit in the house and decided to see the outcome. 

It was worst or maybe better than Jonah had expected, the house was decorated with candles, christmas reefs, and platters of holiday dishes. Both parents, rose up from their seats near the decorated chimney and welcomed him with unusual love and enthusiasm. Taj lost his usual suspicious and cynical ideas and decided to enjoy his family.

After surprisingly enjoying his time with his family, Jonah called Alec to meet up with him. The day could only get better. Jonah stepped out onto the busy street as he bit the chocolate chip cookie without much care. A loud thud a large mercedes called him back into reality as it threw his body about ten feet as the cookie flew out of his hand. The joyous day of Jonah was at a sudden halt as blood rushed out of his mouth and pain covered his eyes with blindness. 

Contents on him: one party invitation and one bag pack

The two girls continued to discuss their elaborate weekend plans that belonged to their busy social calendar whilst sitting in front of Taj in his honors chemistry class. He wondered how these girls even got into the class, much less were not scolded by Dr.Molosky, their strict Russian teacher. As much as Taj tried, the self entitled and mind numbing voices of the socialites demanded his attention. Maybe it was also because of one the girls desperately wanted him to come to the block party at the sobshack and skating rink. But of course Jonah was oblivious to her attempts to lure him in. She was beautiful and loud, and secretly possessed the IQ level of 150, but her reputation and outside appearance made Jonah dismiss her as he did all the popular kids.


Finally the bell freed him of the girls’ chatter and gossip, and her failure of an attempt to ask him to come with her to the party. Jonah picked up his backpack, threw his books in, and hurried out. Once outside, he lit a celebratory cigarette. It was Friday. Only a couple more months before graduation and his departure.  

He waited for Alec outside, yet something was keeping Alec inside. Little did Jonah know it was the very same girl who had Jonah on her mind, Alec’s twin sister Charlotte. She slyly inquired if him and Jonah would come to the block party this weekend. While this would have alarmed any bystander; the popular Charlotte wanting guys like Taj and Alec, who in no way socialize, to come to the party. But Alec saw nothing wrong with mingling with the young drunks and rave crazed kids and agreed he and Taj would come. Charlotte had once again gotten what she wanted even if it did take longer than expected.   
 
Alec and Charlotte exited the school and greeted Jonah. A secret handshake from Alec and a flirtatious smile from Charlotte gave Taj the sense that  something would change this weekend.

Contents on him: one CD and and unanswered cell phone

Jonah’s eyes slowly opened as he realized that Alec was trying to catch his attention while sitting across from him. The smell of stale coffee and waffles introduced him to the early morning at the dinner. But this was their tradition, Alec and Taj always celebrated the new season with cheap breakfast before school four times a year. Besides, it was a nice change from Taj’s unusual day before in remembrance of Raja. Alec pulled him back into reality and questioned him about the new Radiohead CD and his interpretation of Thom Yorke’s lyrics. Moments like these reminded Taj why the boys were so close and all the common elements in their lives, even if Alec didn’t realize.An over wight waitress wearing an empty name tag refilled the coffees and gave Alec the change back. Jonah hadn’t even realized that Alec paid for him. He rubbed his sore eyes then the boys rushed off to school.

The school started off like any other, Alec and Taj parted ways on the blue hall after their secret handshake. Jonah’s first period gave him the opportunity to relax furthermore while inspecting the new Radiohead CD on the radiostation, he felt that “there, there” captured his mood today. The mistrusting yet naive lyrics carried him throughout the day while teachers and friends demanded his attention without much success. Jonah knew that this somber and quiet mood was almost a waste because it wouldn’t bring her back nor would she be happy to see him this way. But with the accompaniment of Radiohead’s macabre and depressing lyrics, his mood seemed justified. The schoolday rushed by almost like a gift from God to spare Jonah of his self righteous peers and overbearing teachers. He hurried back home to escape his friends who had bothered him with countless texts asking what was wrong. They wouldn’t understand it, he said and simply shrugged.

Contents on him: one used tissue and picture

The whistling of the blind man sitting next to the Clinic filled the air yet the big blue room in apartment 22 of the Castle Apartment was silent. Silence was a tell tale sign that something was wrong with Jonah. The room always echoed his laughter and commotion whether or not Alec was there; it was too quiet. If his parents would have really known him, then Baasim and Hamsa Tajmatan would have notice, maybe they would have even inquired the strange behavior. But his parents did not know him. 

The beautiful sun shined into his room, the plethora of texts began to accumulate, and Jonah began to mourn on this beautiful Saturday morning. This Saturday morning belonged to Raja, it would now always belong to the Indian girl with long curls and hazel eyes. He pulled and tugged for the box under his bed which remained unlabeled. As Jonah opened it, his eyes gazed over the new paper articles written in Hindi, the language he struggled to keep up but his parents only spoke. The images of a destroyed car and unknown family members crying on the articles could not be ignored, nor would they ever be. Love letters and silly pictures filled the rest of the box. But Jonah could't remember the beautiful times, he refused to take his eyes off of the new paper clippings while Bob Dylan filled his head. "It was then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight/and watched out for a simple twist of fate", he fought back the tears but failed. Raja's death was more than a simple twist of fate, it was a sudden burst of violence and depression that had changed everything. 

The first attack of the Indian terrorist group in New Delhi had taken his first love as their first victim exactly four years ago. After this, the attacks became regular and forced many to flee from New Delhi, including the Tajmatan family. 

Ordinary memories of the beautiful Indian with hazel eyes and long curls could not be simple. Nostalgia of her forced Jonah to understand that his love had become collateral damage in an effortless war of terrorism in Indian. And the realization that his parents had did not love  him when they tore him from the scene of the accident and Raja’s bloodied body and then from the country he loved.

This beautiful Saturday was spent in memory of Raja and New Delhi.

Contents on him: one crushed cigarette and broken lighter

The day started with Jonah Tajmatan silently cursing at his lighter and unlit cigarette on Benson Street. Not only had he woken up late for class, but now the only vice he could truly rely on, wouldn't "work". The day did not start well.

He picked up his pace and crossed the busy street unto Brownstone Boulevard. After stuffing his broken lighter and failed cigarette back into his jeans pocket, Jonah suddenly detected the sweet smell of Raja. But of course this couldn't be true, India had kept her. The sudden brought memory of her, stung him and slowed him down in his fast pace. But the clock was still ticking, Jonah could not be late once again to the hell some called senior year at Benedict T. Jones. So he picked up the pace once again and decided to forget Raja for the time being, because one day he would have to begin to forget her.

He was greeted by Alec on the steps leading to the main door. Alec was the first classmate to introduce himself when Jonah moved. Automatically, they became best friends. He baptized him as Taj and showed him around this crooked town. The boys were closer than brothers, yet Alec's blonde hair and bright blue eyes contrasted Jonah's dark Indian eyes and hair.Their secret handshake started the school day while they rushed into the building.