THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT OLIVER

Its been one year since we have known each other.

May be more or may be less. Time has never been of much importance to us. At least, not to him. May be nothing is of much pertinence to him, except he himself.

It’s the way he looks at me. A cold stare. We both mean nothing to each other. I can get his thoughts out of my mind in a flick. And I do. Always. May be today is the first time I am thinking about him. And I hate myself for it. Because I know this thinking would never be reciprocated. But what the hell!!

Its not him that I am in love with. In fact I have never really loved his form. Its what he exemplifies. An ideal man.

“Mewww”.“ Shut up Oliver, let me think about you. ”MEWwwwwwww“..” Oliver, I am not letting you out. “MEEEEEWWWWWWW..” Stop scratching the door and get out.

Now we can talk in peace. Yaa, that’s my Oliver, rather my aunt’s Oliver. He’s a mighty Siberian cat, which my aunt got from Russia when my uncle was posted there. She wanted to get one for me too, but I refused politely. I was never an animal lover, at least not a cat lover.

“Meww”.let me in” She wants me to open the door now.

Now what do I tell you about Oliver. He’s an egoist, in every sense of the word. And I thank my chances, that he’s not a human. Else I would have fallen for him, madly. If not for his form.

We meet often. At least once a month, and that cattie, pays a darn whether I walk in or out. I ring the doorbell, he doesn’t bother. He doesn’t come wagging his tail too. He just sits there, in deep slumber, least bothered about whether I am there or not. Once in a while he opens his eyes faintly, sees me, and goes back to sleep. See, I told you. He ignores my presence completely. They say curiosity killed the cat. I say Oliver killed curiosity.

Once in a while he gets up to observe all of us. “Oh you mortals. Look at you, phew”’ he says that like that. Sometimes I stay back at my aunt’s house. And he comes to cuddle with me in my quilt. I don’t have a predilection towards these creatures, and I don’t intend sharing my bed with one now. So, I push him away“ get lost.. but he’s such a rebound. He comes back to me and mews, ” I want to sleep here, and I am going to sleep here.“

”Ok fine, I give up.’ I give him a stroke of affection, he gives a darn. I look at him with hatred, he gives a darn. I ignore him, he gives a darn. He is sooo oblivious to what I think or feel for him. He just doesn’t care. He behaves how he wants to, he doesn’t seek acceptance from anyone.

I push him out of my bed. He goes underneath the bed. In the morning he’s still there. I feel guilty for behaving the way I did last night. I should love him. And so I get mushy. “ Oliver, Oliver. .poochiee.. baby come out..”. .he doesn’t.

“OLIVER” OLIVER..“ no response. I pull him out and make him sit on my laps. I massage his ears and play with his whiskers, he doesn’t react. ”Get lost.“

”thank you Mam“ and he moves out of my laps.

I am leaving, and he is not bothered. ”bye Oliver“. No response. ”Get lost”.

And so I leave. And then I think about him. I sit here and write about him, while he’s sleeping calmly in my massi’s bed.

Imagine being like Oliver, or if you meet someone like Oliver. Its not Oliver whom I glorify. May be he isn’t even conscious of what he does. Its that thought, that there might be a human like him. A man who doesn’t seek acceptance. Who is least bothered about what the world does or thinks about him. You love him, you hate him, you stay indifferent to him, but you can’t affect him. He would live his life with his happiness being his penultimate goal. Period.

Now we’ll meet Whiskey. He’s my friend’s pet dog. A German shepherd. I ring the bell, and he comes wagging his tail to me. He won’t stop barking till I don’t pat him. I give him some love, and he’s all over me, licking me, and jumping at me. I push him away and he growls. He doesn’t leave us alone. You hit Ayesha, and Whiskey wouldn’t leave you. He wants your attention all the time.

“bhaaaa”..’ ok hang on, I am coming. I am petting him, and he won’t let me go. Doggie oh doggie.,what do I do with you now. You want me sooooo much, and Oliver..

A man seeking acceptance. A man who would be broken if he’s not loved. A man who wants to be possessed, a man who fits in to get love and acceptance. A man who seeks self respect from others, when he has nothing called self respect. That’s Whiskey to me.

So one fine day Oliver and Whiskey meet. Whiskey barks at him and just doesn’t stop. He has to be controlled, “ Whiskey, shh.. baby, its just oliver”. He starts feeling insecure, as if Oliver would take his place. But we can’t do anything, he’s just not in our control any longer. Oliver says nothing. He climbs into my folded arms, closes his eyes, and goes to sleep, as gently as ever.

“Bhaaaa”’’’’“..”. .goes Whiskey. “ yaa yaa, what do you want?”

“Bhaaaw Bhaww..” and he starts wagging his tail now. I pass my fingers through his thick coat, and he’s mine. That’s all it takes to own him.

“Bha bha”’ he goes, while my Oliver is taking a siesta on my couch and in my heart forever.