MR. MOBILE MAN

The adventures of a mobile man: the new Superman in town!!!

The superman is at work on his laptop

Mr. A's day typically starts with yoga, a practice he never skips, even if the world goes upside down. His yoga routine consists of holding the mobile as soon as his eyes open to the world. The exercise primarily consists of eyeball👀 stretches across the mobile screen and a few strength training exercises with the gadget in hand. He first stretches his eyes upwards to glance at the notifications that appear on his mobile screen. Then, he carefully rolls his eyes downward and to the left (a quick glance at his wife) and with a deep sigh lessens the volume—his wife's deadly stare is more than enough to convey her displeasure at the noise of the phone without needing words. The messages her eyes convey speak volumes to him —something he has learned through regular practice and quiet dedication.

His devotion knows no bounds as he prepares the morning tea for his wife: black tea with no sugar --- a taste she cultivated through the constant worries that come with the responsibilities of a long, successful marriage. It doesn't matter if the water has spilled, or at times when the water has dried up due to some important negligence(while viewing a YouTube short on his mobile, where a love story is met with brutal heartbreak). Perhaps, these stories give him a sense of deep satisfaction or validation that his love life is way peaceful than those characters in play.

It is often said that love is an addiction, a disease, and a capsule—once caught or taken, only God can save the person involved.

But who will save when one is addicted to mobile phones? Do you think God can help?

Well, let's not distract ourselves and move on with Mr. A's routine. Now his work hours have started--- a long ten to eleven hours of blinding work. By blinding, I mean, even if his wife faints or an earthquake rips the earth apart, his eyes will still be fixated on the laptop screen. This is a classic example of transition from one screen to another--- bigger and better--- it has the capacity to engulf the person, even without his knowledge.

Once, the gas oven was left open by him with fire still warming its companions nearby (utensils, I mean--- they miraculously escaped being coloured black and being rigorously beaten in the name of cleanliness by the boss of the household) !!!!!

The tea is still prepared, and his wife still drinks it with great pride and accomplishment.

How many of us(women) are blessed with such a romantic start to a morning????

Now, the day has almost come to an end, the work is over, and dinner is done. Mr. A retires to his bed with the object where his heart beats---- yes, like the folklore we read where the king's life resides in a bird secretly caged, his is in this object---- his beloved smartphone. His wife looks at him expectantly, wishing him to keep his beating life to his side and give a look at her, so that she can start her commentary of the day. But Mr. A has more fascinating stories to watch on his mobile phone. If, by any chance, he misses one of them, he surreptitiously transfers and saves it in his WhatsApp messages to himself.

Recent Update: After much research and brain hammering, his wife has found a new technique----- she gives a final call:

'Either switch off the net and sleep, or consider your phone lost or dead."

His precious object- smartphone

This level of audacity comes with age, experience, and confidence that your partner cannot do without you, and you mean what you say. However, it takes years of training, dedication, service, and unconditional love to reach this point.

This doesn't happen where a relationship starts with breadcrumbing and ends in ghosting--- words I have learned from my social media handles ( again, smartphones).

Mr. A now goes to sleep, ending the day with a smile on his countenance. He knows tomorrow will be a new day, a new adventure, and a new opportunity to spend time with his mobile phone...

"You can't touch his phone

or it will become impious;

with such reverence, he offers

his daily prayers...."

.

By Nandini Sengupta

@metaphors_of_life

<*The concerned person, Mr. A, is inspired by my beloved husband Arnab Sengupta, who wanted this story to be written and published on my blog so that he can be a part of my writing journey, not just in person but also through my written words. The satire aside(in the story), he has always been a constant support in helping me make my career a success. Really grateful to him.>