The Problematic Couch
Opel and Zakai ate the food heartily and finished it soon.
“I think it’ll rain the whole night.
We made the right decision to take a shelter here.” Opel spoke looking outside the closed glass window.
“——”
As expected there was no answer from the other side.
Opel turned his head to look at Zakai, only to find out that little boy has already dozed off comfortably while sitting on the chair.
For a few seconds, Opel kept on staring at Zakai.
“So calm yet so explosive sometimes.
In this age you should be studying now.
I wonder what led you to choose this dead end.
Sometimes you look courageous, sometimes you are fragile, I wonder what kind of a boy you are, Zakai.
You are a mysterious guy.” Opel went near him and whispered, “Where are your parents?
Aren’t they worried about you?” He sighed slightly and continued, “Will I ever get any answer from your side, Zakai?”
“Hmmmm…..ummm….” Sleepy Zakai started to slumber in his sleep.
He raised his head with his heavy- lidded droopy eyes and looked at Opel whose face was too close to him.
At once Zakai got startled when he saw Opel’s empty eyes stared straight down at him without a single blink.
He instantly could feel his heart pound fast in his chest; his muscles freezed completely in shock.
“Did I wake you up?” Opel asked with his tender voice while his eyes were already fixed at Zakai’s face.
“——”
Zakai kept on staring at Opel’s face that was placed closed to him.
For the first few seconds Zakai had a dazed feeling and with his slow thinking it was difficult to find out what just happened.
After a few seconds, finally Zakai snapped out of his memory gap and pulled back his face.
Then he slowly stood up from the chair and with his clumsy movements, he sat on the couch.
He tilted his head downward at a sharp angle and gazed at the floor pattern.
His face seemed as if he was dealing with some defensive emotional withdrawal from a stressful environment.
Opel kept on looking at Zakai’s actions.
When Zakai sat on the couch, Opel went near him and asked, “Are you sure that you’re gonna sleep in this broken couch?”
“——”
Zakai didn’t respond with any word.
Instead he answered with a single nod.
Opel curved up his lips and nodded back.
Then he went near the single bed in the room and sat on it.
His eyes automatically drifted towards the direction where Zakai was still in his own world.
“Zakai!
I think we should exchange.
You take the bed and let me sleep on the couch.
What if the couch breaks and you get hurt?
Listen to me and come here.”
“Won’t the couch break when you sleep here?” Zakai sudden stroke of the question was out of syllabus.
Opel had nothing to defend to such a reasonable question.
Zakai grabbed the cushion from the couch and threw it on one end of the couch.
“Good night sir.” Zakai spoke without looking at Opel and then descended his body onto the couch.
He softly placed his head on the cushion and closed his eyes.
He lay on his one side with his knees pulled up towards his chest, with his arms bent at the elbows.
His hands were pulled in close to his face.
A rounded, closed posture could be seen where his back was curved outward into a circular shape.
This type of sleeping with curled up body often tied to some kind of self- soothing psychological aspect, offering a sense of physical warmth, especially when stressed or someone is seeking any kind of comfort.
Opel couldn’t resist himself from peeking at Zakai who mimicked the shape of a baby in a mother’s womb.
“Good night stubborn little boy.” Opel timidly spoke, making sure not to disturb Zakai’s sleep.
Then he switched off the only light of the room and went back to the bed.
He laid himself on the bed and sighed happily.
It was late night, around 11 and his bright wide eyes, with a genuine smile with crinkling corners at his lips, relaxed and lifted cheeks and an open welcoming posture radiated that he was in a state of deep emotional relief.
DUDUMMMMMM!!!!!!
Suddenly there was a booming, heavy sound in their room.
At once Opel stood up and reached his hand for the switch board which was next to him and switched ‘on’ the only light of the room.
The moment the room lit up, his eyes looked for Zakai’s direction.
Immediately his eyes bulged out and he rushed towards Zakai.
The frame of the couch just snapped off with a violent crack.
The wooden support beam was splintered under the weight and there was Zakai, who was lying on the floor with an astonished face.
The centre gave away entirely, dropping Zakai’s entire body to the floor.
Luckily the cushion was intact with his head so his head didn’t dash on the wooden frame.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Opel asked while trying to pull him out of the cavity of the couch.
“Ohh!” Zakai made a weird sound.
Opel instantly knew that Zakai was hurt.
He realized that his lower back took all the force.
He placed his one arm under Zakai’s upper shoulder and his other arm under Zakai’s knees to properly distribute the weight, making sure that he doesn’t get hurt any more.
After carefully scooping up Zakai’s body, Opel spoke with a hushed tone, “Relax!
Don’t give pressure to your lower back.
I’m carrying you to the bed now.”
“——” Zakai kept on staring at Opel and his good intentions.
Opel forced his hands and pulled Zakai’s body from the ground.
As a reaction, Zakai wrapped his both arms around Opel’s neck.
Carefully Opel carried Zakai on both his arms and then slowly rested his body on the bed.
“Did you hurt your back?” Opel asked with a concerned face.
Zakai nodded responding that he didn’t.
Perhaps Opel wasn’tconvincedat what Zakai told him.
He insisted “Turn around.
Let me see first.”
“Thank God!
Uncle and aunt didn’t wake up.” Zakai spoke indifferently.
“Hugh!” Opel’s face looked frustrated as well as worried.
“Perhaps the heavy sound of rain and thunderstorm made the breaking sound blend with it.”
“Zakai!” Opel was confused as his questions and Zakai’s answers had no connections at all.
“I’m not hurt anywhere.
Thanks for the help.” Saying this, Zakai tossed around the bed and shifted to the other end of the bed.
“Stop moving recklessly!
What are you doing now?” Opel asked staring at Zakai with a frown that automatically appeared on his face.
“Making way for you.
Won’t we have to share the bed now?” Zakai replied.
“Hugh!” At once Opel’s face turned red.
He gulped nervously.
“Come!
You can steal my quilt.
I don’t mind.”