1 November 2034.
Emese drove her Bentley on a lonely road in the outskirts of Budapest. The city had very little room for individual bungalows, but Emese's parents managed to own one. They moved to Vienna with her sister while she stayed here.
The neighbourhood was not clumsy like the city, but had reasonable number of houses to distinguish it from a forest.
The gates opened and screeched as it slid on flakes. She parked her car onto the bungalow's right. As she walked towards the door, a melodious Hindi song penetrated her auditory canal. She didn't need to know the language to feel the energy.
Her tired-evening mood immediately turned quirky. She wanted to get comfortable. She went inside, revivified herself with a face-wash, changed into her night costume and ran towards the partition wall. She rested her body weight on the wall and let out her default shout, "Oiii Hanuuu…"
She didn't expect a reply as she could still hear the song. She jumped over the wall and sneaked into the house. From the living room, she could see Hanu brewing his signature cold coffee while humming peacefully. Her arrival never shocked Hanu, for he got used to her senseless things as much as he got used to a cold coffee in a winter evening.
They both were more of best friends than neighbours. Emese got along with people effortlessly, but not much people were ready to get along. She had a friend in every street of Budapest, but a best friend only in her street. But, in this peculiar case, it was not a random hangout, playlist overlap or colleague-turned-friend.
☆☆☆☆☆
Six years ago
It all started on a rainy day, just when Emese entered her university. Hanu was a new emigrant. She had left her keys in her locker room. Hanu saw her struggling with the door, wet like a teddy bear soaked in a puddle.
He called her inside and offered her a room to stay. She had to agree as that was her last option, else she should find an inn. When she accepted his offer, she expected something inappropriate. Two opposite-gender same-age young individuals in the same house on a rainy evening with the female counterpart being in need is nevertheless Lucifer's paradise.
But she got a cold coffee and a warm smile in return. Hanu gave his mom's Kurti and he had the audacity to show her a YouTube video on "How to wear a Kurti".
Then he pulled off the most boyish move possible. Trust a random person after 10 minutes of conversation and overwhelm their imagination skills with your life history. Hanu narrated how he fought with his disloyal father after his beloved mother's death and ended up emigrating to Europe to pursue a Programming career.
Emese was deeply moved by his naivety that could sell someone trash for gold and could tell someone his whole life history. She loved him very much and loved it more to live as his best friend, his comfort zone.
☆☆☆☆☆
Hanu spoke as he handed over a cup to Emese, "When I chopped down that European hornbeam, it entangled my network cables. Let's go to your house today."
They both walked towards Emese's house, but this time through the gates. Hanu saved his year-long streak of asking, "How was your day?"
Emese sipped and sighed, "Great, not to mention a rejection."
Hanu's eyes turned curious, "Who is that scumbag? The first proposal of the master of proposal-rejections ended up in a rejection."
Emese raised her eyebrows, "Watch your words. You'll regret it"
Hanu ascertained, "I won't. Brief me on it."
Emese looked towards the ground, "He made me understand that I was in a trance state of emotional peak."
Hanu opened the door to her house, "Oh my! Who is he really?"
Emese winked, "Dr. Raghav Krishna from India"
Hanu's mouth was wide-open. He stammered, "Wait, what?!... My Raghav? Why didn't you bring him here?"
Emese gasped, "He had to return home urgently. Plus he has a track record of providing a family for homeless friends. What if he takes you with him?" They both giggled as they sat on the couch.
Emese continued, "Why aren't you in touch with your friends? It doesn't take much time."
Hanu turned away from the TV as he said, "Some friendships don't need constant contact."
Emese selected "Dunkirk" from the 'Continue watching' section.
They both heard a loud siren right when they were watching Cilian Murphy get locked in a chamber by a lad. Hanu didn't want to pause it. But Emese went out to check what it was. She looked up and shouted at Hanu. He came out of the house, running.
A large aircraft flew exactly over Hanu's villa. "NATAS (Non-Aligning Traitors Annihilating System)" was written on it.
An announcement followed the siren. "As the resident-cum-owner Mr. Hanu has deviated from The Global Fundamental Duty #1 of nurturing at least two trees, his house is being demolished. Any human life taken in this procedure is not intentional."
Three huge metal balls swung down from the aircraft and turned the building into debris in no time. Hanu mumbled, "I haven't yet repaid the home loan."
Emese said, "That's a palindrome", as she pointed her index finger towards the text on the aircraft's body.