Noshin Tasnim Hassan
Twenty-seven-year-old Trey Parker sat on his swivel chair, his back rigid as he placidly typed away on his computer. His focus was unwavering; all the commotion of the workplace was hardly an inconvenience for him. Now, if he was two years younger and didn’t feel the emotional and mental burden of keeping his body and soul together by himself, he would’ve gladly joined his colleagues and have a good laugh over whatever the latest gossip that was escalating throughout the office. Or better, he would’ve tacked on his own witticism to make the day brighter.
But he wasn’t the same ebullient and inquisitive boy that he was two years ago, he wasn’t the same guy who used to make everyone’s day at work by just flashing his infamous rectangular smile. And he surely wasn’t the same person who once had great expectations from his life. It had all started a few months after he had moved into his own place. Though he had a hard time living away from his family at times, it had always been just another one of his fantasies to get his own place. How happy he was to be able to do his dream job and get the perfect apartment that he’d always wanted. But sadly, his euphoria didn’t last when he got an unexpected call one night at around two. It was his father, and for a split second all kinds of somber thoughts began to cloud his head and Trey couldn’t tell if his mind was capable of producing more of those fatalistic contemplations. He tried to think the best but then again wasn’t the purpose of almost all midnight calls to break harrowing news?
And in the end, the wretched thoughts outstripped even the slightest hints of optimism. The next morning, Trey stood in front of a sepulcher in his hometown with his family. The sable blackness of his outfit wasn’t any different from those of the people that stood around him. His puffy eyes ran over the marble headstone and the etched writing on it.
Jill Elizabeth Parker
July 27, 1945
November 18, 2016
Trey had last seen his grandmother about four months before her demise. She had sounded perfectly well to him just the previous week when they talked over the phone. And now he was about to see her getting buried six feet under the ground. His heart wrenched at the sight. After all, Jill Parker had been the one to look after him when his parents had been slaving at work.
He refused to look away as the casket was lowered down, his lips trembled and his shoulders heaved with emotion. His dark lashes brimmed heavy with tears and his hands clenched into shaking fists in a desperate battle against grief. A lone tear traced down his cheek and just like that, the floodgates opened. Beads of water started falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping. There was a rawness to his cries and the wave of his emotions broke him down entirely. All his defenses were washed away in those salty tears.
A year had flown by but Trey still suffered from the stirring agony. His pain was unrelenting, excruciating and debilitating. Even if he tried to pull himself through whatever had happened, it seemed as if destiny didn’t want him to start over.
Trey’s best friend since school had been Jay Miller. He was just as carefree and invigorating as Trey was once. The duo was sometimes called ‘double trouble’ when together, and everyone in the neighborhood was well aware of their shenanigans. They were inextricable. Jay Miller was Trey’s only friend who had seen him in his best and worst times. After his grandma passed away, Trey had plunged himself into a severe state of depression. He was barely himself and that made Jay fretful. He wanted to bring the old Trey back to life. But fate seemed to have other plans for him.
Jay Miller was found dead two months later on the highway. He had been run over by a bus, and the news was absolutely unbearable for Trey. In one year, he had lost two people who had been the closest to him. Brick by brick, his walls tumbled down. The tears in his eyes turned the rainy day into a whirlwind of greys and yellows. His sobs ripped through his muscles, bones and gut. For the next one week, he found himself confined in his room, grieving silently. He looked around his room; the beanbag that used to be occupied by Jay whenever he was over was now sitting lifelessly in the corner, the video game controllers were now hidden deep inside Trey’s closet along with countless memories.
“Trey, you here?” He looked up from the computer screen and into the bright blue eyes of his colleague Jane Evans, realizing that he’d been staring at the screen doing absolutely nothing. Jane was a young, petite brunette who’d joined six months ago and had already made a friendly bond with everyone. Except for Trey, who’d refused to extend their conversations beyond a simple greeting and work-related matters. He nodded hesitantly, “Yes, I got carried away slightly. I just need to finish this report and leave…”
“I’ll be leaving in a while too. Do you want to get some coffee after work?” She asked him expectantly. “I can’t today, sorry.” He replied with a shrug without even looking at her. “How does this weekend sound? I’m throwing a party, work friends only.” Jane explained. The word party sounded foreign to Trey and there was a slight pause before he spoke up.
“Thanks for asking, June-“
“It’s Jane. Jane Evans.”
Trey felt blood rush to his face but he managed to keep a calm demeanor. “Sorry, but I’m not a party person, at least not anymore.” He muttered the last part to himself and rays of hope slipped away from Jane’s face.
“Are you sure?” She asked again.
“Positive.”
Jane was slightly flustered at his straightforwardness. “I’ll see you next week then.” With that, she walked away from his desk, feeling dejected. Jane would sometimes ponder why Trey was the way he was. Not that she was offended by his bluntness but sometimes she couldn’t help but hope that he’d notice her too, just like she noticed him.