As Jonah began to remember the lonely apartment and the absence of his parents, the past caught up to him. The terrorist attack in New Delhi that ended the lives of the three closest people in his life had distorted his reality. He attempted to understand why he acknowledged Raja's death, but created a false reality in which his parents lived with him. Maybe the presence of his parents in his newly found life in the Castle Apartments revealed his incompetency to let go. Maybe Raja's death remained a tragic event because his subconscious could not fully deny what had happened. Alec and Jonah could only guess why things had played out the way they did. Both agreed that the car accident challenged the duality of his life as his body recovered from the brutal force of the car.
Strange things occurred around the Castle Apartments as fate and insanity tormented the lives of citizens much like the sudden death of Sile N'Bhron; the events in the Castle Apartments happened for without a reason while they revealed ultimate truths of the citizens. Jonah's struggle to cope with the sudden loss of his parents and childhood friend simply exposed his weaknesses; his lack of control of the Hindi language resulted from his subconscious desire rid Indian culture from his life. He wondered what had been revealed from the mysterious death of Sile N'Bhron and the responsible individual.
Graduation was only a couple days away. With the new grip on reality and crutches, Jonah was able to graduate with a fresh start into the world. The past had been dealt with, now it was the present that had to be managed.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Contents on him: the numbers two and three
The door opened in the room 223, Alec slowly closed the door shut as he breathed in deeply trying to calm himself down. Four days had past since Jonah's accident; according to the doctors he had not been responsive yet showed signs of improvement, several bones were broken and his face was severely bruised. Several weeks of physical therapy would be the minimum.
The social worker who had helped his friend emancipate after his parents' death had called Alec; she was in the room as he walked in. Neither one of them spoke while the back ground noise of Jonah's troubled breathing and heartbeats filled the silence. After a brief introduction, she left and handed Alec Jonah's files. While the information in the file not authorized for him to read, the social worker thought that Alec could support Jonah better once he was able to understand Jonah's past.
Documents in both English and Hindi filled the manila file labeled 'Minor:Jonah Tajmatan', a page written in English with pictures stapled in the left hand corner stood out. It was a translated police report from New Delhi, it claimed that both Hamsa and Baasim Tajmatan, age 37 and 41, were found dead in the wreckage of a bombed automobile in the city. The pictures from the scene revealed the savaged street and the innocent victims the New Delhi terrorist group had claimed, including Jonah's parents and Raja. Other documents revealed the impact of this event: their fourteen year old son, Jonah, orphaned, with the help other relatives in America he was able to be emancipated, and use the life insurance to move to America.
Alec closed the file and pulled a chair next to Jonah, he began to play Radiohead and casually discussed things that had happened in school while Jonah was gone. After 'In Rainbows' and 'Pablo Honey' both repeated twice, Jonas's eyes opened. Alec explained to him what had happened, even after Jonah denied it since he remembered walking down the streets at 6 30 and meeting Clara Kate Holloway. It was all just a dream. Feelings of rage and confusion flooded Jonah, he threw the iPod speakers on the floor and demanded to leave the hospital since he was not injured.
His friend simply picked the speakers off of the ground and sat down next to Jonah once again. After Jonah had calmed down, he inquired "Where are my parents? Did they come visit me?". Alec began to read him the manila file as Jonah began to remember the lonely apartment and the absence of his parents.
The social worker who had helped his friend emancipate after his parents' death had called Alec; she was in the room as he walked in. Neither one of them spoke while the back ground noise of Jonah's troubled breathing and heartbeats filled the silence. After a brief introduction, she left and handed Alec Jonah's files. While the information in the file not authorized for him to read, the social worker thought that Alec could support Jonah better once he was able to understand Jonah's past.
Documents in both English and Hindi filled the manila file labeled 'Minor:Jonah Tajmatan', a page written in English with pictures stapled in the left hand corner stood out. It was a translated police report from New Delhi, it claimed that both Hamsa and Baasim Tajmatan, age 37 and 41, were found dead in the wreckage of a bombed automobile in the city. The pictures from the scene revealed the savaged street and the innocent victims the New Delhi terrorist group had claimed, including Jonah's parents and Raja. Other documents revealed the impact of this event: their fourteen year old son, Jonah, orphaned, with the help other relatives in America he was able to be emancipated, and use the life insurance to move to America.
Alec closed the file and pulled a chair next to Jonah, he began to play Radiohead and casually discussed things that had happened in school while Jonah was gone. After 'In Rainbows' and 'Pablo Honey' both repeated twice, Jonas's eyes opened. Alec explained to him what had happened, even after Jonah denied it since he remembered walking down the streets at 6 30 and meeting Clara Kate Holloway. It was all just a dream. Feelings of rage and confusion flooded Jonah, he threw the iPod speakers on the floor and demanded to leave the hospital since he was not injured.
His friend simply picked the speakers off of the ground and sat down next to Jonah once again. After Jonah had calmed down, he inquired "Where are my parents? Did they come visit me?". Alec began to read him the manila file as Jonah began to remember the lonely apartment and the absence of his parents.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Contents on him: shoes full of sand
The sand filled his shoes as the dry wind tussled his hair; Jonah knew he was back home in New Delhi. The familiar architecture calmed him down as he realized it was just a dream, a temporary vacation, but Taj enjoyed it. The smells of the market and the dusty roads welcomed him back and the worries faded away. It was just a dream, but it wasn’t too far from the truth. Once again his parents, Baasim and Hamsa Tajmatan were nowhere to be found. Hindi words and phrases filled his head and out of his mouth, he tasted the spices and the bitterness that New Delhi left him with. Taj looked around the market but only saw the citizens from the Castle Apartments. The children and families he had grown up with were missing as well. The streets were filled with the spoiled and unhappy Americans he so desperately tried to escape. Not even in Jonah’s dreams could he live in the Indian culture.
A young boy and his mother stood still in front of him; they lived right next door. Jonah knew their fears, short comings, and life stories. The thin walls of the apartments often betrayed the young mother, Kindra Lee and her son Andy. They pointed at him and began to repeat Hindu phrases. Their voices became louder and louder as their outrage and disapproval became evident. Jonah felt these emotions run through his body; he wasn’t welcomed in New Delhi either. The mother and child came closer and closer. He tried to run but his feet wouldn't take him anywhere.
A young boy and his mother stood still in front of him; they lived right next door. Jonah knew their fears, short comings, and life stories. The thin walls of the apartments often betrayed the young mother, Kindra Lee and her son Andy. They pointed at him and began to repeat Hindu phrases. Their voices became louder and louder as their outrage and disapproval became evident. Jonah felt these emotions run through his body; he wasn’t welcomed in New Delhi either. The mother and child came closer and closer. He tried to run but his feet wouldn't take him anywhere.
Jonah felt the pressure of hands on his body, a luke warm towel slowly washing over the contours of his face. "It was just a bad dream" declared a soft voice belonging to a woman.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Contents on him: cigarettes
The sudden rush of unspoken thoughts and hushed feelings he had just experienced captivated him until a numb sensation tingled up and down his legs. Jonah sat down on his generic Ikea sofa and slowly cradled his crowded head in his hands until a foreign, strange feeling interrupted his moment. His worries faded away as his inhaled the fresh air of the usually stale air of the Castle Apartment. But no one was there, no one to share this experience with. He looked around the empty room and felt the need to go. Jonah grabbed his coat and cigarettes and headed out; he did not have a destination.
The time was 6:30, he entered the streets of the city and inhaled the air, as if it could give him a purpose or a reason.The roads were already taken up by the early birds of the city driving to work. He walked down searching for faces, yet the eerie feeling wouldn’t leave him. Jonah felt the odd presence of something new developing in his mind. He began to look at things differently.The citizens of this strange town looked past him. A woman dressed in scrubs with a tired and worn down look made her way down the street. Her phone rang, the sudden sound jolted her as her keys fell out of her hand. Her name tag read Clara Kate Holloway. They exchanged glances as he picked keys up from the ground. He recognized the lackluster spirit and continued down the street. Jonah felt as if he knew her, her voice and presence seemed so familiar.
The time was 6:30, he entered the streets of the city and inhaled the air, as if it could give him a purpose or a reason.The roads were already taken up by the early birds of the city driving to work. He walked down searching for faces, yet the eerie feeling wouldn’t leave him. Jonah felt the odd presence of something new developing in his mind. He began to look at things differently.The citizens of this strange town looked past him. A woman dressed in scrubs with a tired and worn down look made her way down the street. Her phone rang, the sudden sound jolted her as her keys fell out of her hand. Her name tag read Clara Kate Holloway. They exchanged glances as he picked keys up from the ground. He recognized the lackluster spirit and continued down the street. Jonah felt as if he knew her, her voice and presence seemed so familiar.
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