Social Nightworking

 
Mahesh made taking a gentle sip of hot chocolate and setting the mug back on the wooden chair an elaborate – almost – ritualistic affair. He took great delight in following through every action of his, complete to the very last detail, preparing for what was going to be a very long night.

“And I think to myself,” he hummed happily. “What a wonderful world.”

Mahesh's house was getting painted. And his nose didn't get along very well with the smell of paint.

He was, therefore, being allowed to spend the night in his grandmother's house, which was a floor directly above his.

In other words : he was free to do as he pleased. He had a comp at his disposal, complete with Internet connection. He had his phone. His grandparents were in the other rooms, and they were most undoubtedly fast asleep. Definitely a lot of incentive for him to be in a buoyant mood.

But the nasty thought of the amount of work he had to complete was tugging at the sleeves of his mind. He was only halfway through his Sanskrit assignment; Chemistry homework was nothing short of disastrous, and he hadn't even started preparing for the following day's geography test.

But whatthehell, he thought. He had the whole night for all that. He could afford to sit back and relax for a bit.

He logged on to Facebook, careful to make himself appear offline and then went on Gtalk.

He frowned. The whole set up lacked something vital.

Mahesh clicked his fingers in realization. Of course, he thought to himself. Music.

New tab : YouTube.

**

Eric Clapton sang Wonderful Tonight ever so softly, and Mahesh was, to use the colloquial expression, apdiye in full flow.

He was chatting with four different people on Gtalk, shifting tabs every now and then to check out Facebook updates. His phone kept chirping all along.

Dai did u see thiago silva's amazin volley goal?

Mahesh grinned.

He replied, OF COURSE!! MIND BLOWING IT WAS!

Mahesh opened another tab, went on YouTube.

Thiago Silva volley goal, the football fanatic typed in the search bar. Three dozen results showed up on the first page.

“Oh,” he mumbled. “He plays for AC Milan.

A club he always claimed to be a zealous fan of.

Mahesh watched Thiago Silva's goal and had to admit it was pretty good.

He picked up his phone. Six new messages.

The first one announced, OMG! Nolan scores again for newcastle!

I know, he replied.

He had barely read through the second message when he got a reply.

U watchin?

Of course, was his reply.

A brief google search informed Mahesh that Newcastle was playing Bolton Wanderers.

“With or without you...” he sang along with U2's Bono.

**

It wouldn't last. The day's various activities were steadily beginning to take their toll on his body. Mahesh felt stabs of fatigue and caught himself yawning twice. He glanced at the wall clock. It was just past eleven – thirty. Scandalised, Mahesh went back to work.

He allowed himself a glance at the intimidatingly large pile of books lying on the bed. For a fleeting moment, he was torn between conflicting interests.

The moment passed, and Mahesh logged on to onemanga.com.

Mahesh groaned as the contents of the latest Full Metal Alchemist chapter materialized on the computer screen, his thoughts finding their way back to work yet to be done.

He wondered how long the trend would continue. The less he did, the less he felt like doing. He had tried on several occasions, but was always unsuccessful in his attempts to snap out of the vicious cycle that made the mountain of work on his head grow higher each miserable, passing day.

Doing the best, came Elvis's silky, tender voice. The best I can. But it's not good... Enough for you...

At one point, he realized the whole thing would reach its zenith, and he would crumble under the mountain's weight.

No, no. There was nothing to get worried about. He was just a little tired. It would all work out fine in the end. He closed the tab once he was done, and went back to Facebook. Thirteen notifications, two messages. That was fast.

Mahesh sat up another half an hour and wisely came to the conclusion that he could stay awake no longer.

He got into bed.

He'd wake up early and finish everything, he promised. He needed a little rest, that's all. Nothing major. He looked at the time. Twelve forty - five. He set an alarm for 2 on his phone.

* * *

Two a.m. The phone, being on vibrate mode, hissed and spat. Mahesh awoke slowly, listlessly, groped about for his phone and deactivated his alarm. He squinted at the screen through half open eyes. One new message.

U watching milan play napoli now?

Yeah, he replied, and went back to bed.