Friends | Flash Post 434

Button, the magenta-coloured shirt was one amongst many linen shirts Mahesh had in his collection and he was very possessive about it as it had proved to be lucky for him time and again. He got his first big job in a major film production house the day he wore it for his interview. He was wearing the shirt the day he proposed to Namita and she accepted. He got a promotion in less than a year on the day he was wearing the same shirt. Mahesh loved the magenta shirt more than his life.

A magenta coloured shirt! That’s an unusual colour!

Let’s have some fun and write a story around it?

I’m game. Let’s go. You to start as you came up with the idea.

Let’s begin by giving the magenta shirt a name. What about Emm?

Why not!

Emm was one of the shirts waiting to be washed. His other colleagues in the bucket kept whispering amongst themselves because they felt Emm had no business being there. He was much too loud for their liking. Neither did they want his colour rubbing off on them.

Yet there was no way the others could stay away from Emm because they were all tightly packed in a tiny plastic bucket which Hajabuli, the maid, had stuffed them into.

When the mistress of the house reprimanded Hajabuli for the unwashed pile of clothes lying in the bathroom for days, she decided to wash them all at one go.

There was a pale blue linen shirt, a yellow shirt, two white shirts, a pale pink shirt, a grey shirt and a navy blue shirt. Angry and frustrated with her life because her dreams of becoming a Bollywood star had been crushed, Hajabuli soaked them all in detergent and went to finish her remaining chores. When she went back to wash the shirts, her face fell. The magenta from Emm had bled and stained all the other shirts. She panicked.

Stained collars, stained sleeves and splashes of magenta coloured the rest! They saw what they looked like and were aghast. Both white shirts had been ruined beyond recognition. Honestly, they all were. How can you stain my pureness just like that? said a white shirt.  You are a newcomer and I have been around for much longer. How could you do this to me? asked the other white shirt. Emm knew that they would all nail him for no fault of his but he was in no position to start an argument. The damnation was there for all to see and any further move from his side to explain his innocence would only make things worse. He cowered in one corner as the other shirts rained blows—verbal and physical—on him. Emm tried his best to shield himself with his hands but some of the blows met with their target and hurt him badly. He was silenced every time he opened his mouth to say something.

It was the grey shirt that biffed Emm really hard and held on to his neck with the strength of a demon. I’ll see the end of you, you loud uncouth piece of nothing! Can you see what you have done to me? I was beautiful and squeaky clean till you came along and ruined my looks forever.

Emm kept quiet. After all, it was Hajabuli who had stuffed him inside the bucket with the others! He knew he was one of a kind and had no intention of mixing with the crowd or having anything to do with them.

Emm encountered the blue linen shirt who was not as rowdy and hurtful as the grey shirt. Seeing Emm crouched in one corner, she pacified him and assured him that together they would find a solution for the mess.

The pale pink shirt who had been with the family the longest, pulled a long face because she had managed to stay blemish-free for 9 long years. She kept sighing and shedding copious amounts of tears lamenting her fate.

Once things inside the bucket turned quiet, Emm slowly got up from his place at the bottom of the bucket and apologised to each of the occupants.

The water in the bucket was a deep magenta after the scuffle and some had also trickled down the sides and onto the newly-done up bathroom floor. Emm sensed the tension inside the bucket and tried to think of a way to break it even if it meant annoying the others and getting another thrashing!

Wasn’t Namita discussing Holi plans with her friends yesterday? Suddenly an idea fell in place. What better way could there be than playing Holi with the grouchos in the bucket! The coloured water was right there! Was this providence or just plain good luck, mused Emm.

Emm splashed some of the magenta water on the white shirt who splashed some on the grey who splashed some on the pink shirt in return. In a matter of moments, they were all splashing coloured water on each one and singing and dancing and laughing till their stomachs ached. Never had they had so much fun as they did today, oblivious about what would happen when Namita found out about the damage they had caused!