Published on 12:00 AM, August 09, 2018

SATIRE

If we romanticised sunny days like rainy ones

It's been months since the sun peeked from behind the clouds, clearing the gloominess that clung to the atmosphere and sucking up the tea puddles from the roads. As it rained most days in the city, the umbrella, rubber boots, and raincoat sales went up because the civilians had to make them an essential part of their regular wardrobe. They would be deemed pretty useless whenever the sun would be visible like an eye in the sky. Everyone and everything under it would shine bright. Bald heads, tin shades, and alphabets on the bodies of unruly buses. 

7.00 AM

B is not a morning person, but he wakes up early today. Maybe because of the new rooster in the neighbourhood. To his surprise, he finds the whole house awash in sunlight. It seems very understandable now that he is to see plenty of posts on social media that will romanticise the sun. He is very thankful about khichuri not being on the menu for the day though.

9.00 AM

As he logs into Facebook, the news feed welcomes him with countless photos of the sun, posts that read "Ah, the morning sun", "Vitamin D, finally!" and many shares of that one Beatles song that played in almost every head on such days – "Here comes the sun". While many romanticise the big star, many dread it. His neighbour, for example, is seen steaming at the fact that the weather is a little hot for the day and he has to cancel all his plans since his bald head is going to sweat if he's out in the sun. He is not alone. Many others also cancel their plans whenever it's sunny. To them, the heat is unbearable, which is why lowering the AC temperature while making the sun even hotter for the future seems like a wise idea.

12.00 PM

B calls his friend to ask him whether he will go out today. The friend turns down his offer and says that he will stay home with his eyes glued to his favourite novel while sipping iced lemonade. B would soon find him posting a story with his book and the glass of lemonade with the sun emoji.

2.00 PM

Dhanmondi Rd. 27 is not a makeshift river for the day like many other places in the city. People are not using boats and paddles. The vehicles are not splashing muddy waters on the pedestrians. It is a scene that births a plethora of memes and is worthy to witness. As B strolls around the area alone, he thinks how wonderful this city can be. Sometimes rivers bloom on the roads. Sometimes they dry up. It is as though it has one body but many skins.

4.00 PM

Playing football in the muddy fields during rainy days is very common for the city dwellers. However, the real deal is to play under the bright sun after many friend circles gather like it's a festival that's not to be missed. So, the ones with athletic bods have been driven out of their homes to the playgrounds. While B walks aimlessly by the playgrounds, observing everything that a sunny day brings, a text message pops up on his phone saying, "Going to the rooftop for basking. Join us, everyone's here."

"Ugh, it's the annoying neighbourhood kids again," he thinks to himself, as the rare playful sounds fade into the background.