friday, 26 june 2026

reached mumbai this evening. the rains came in as the cab was crossing the bridge. big grey sheets of water, nothing like delhi.

the flat is on the second floor of a building that smells of damp and old cooking. neha opened the door. she seemed nice. said hi, pointed at my room, offered water. i said thank you too many times. she laughed once. i don't know what to make of her yet.

my room is small. one window. the paint near the ceiling is peeling a little. there is a single bed, a table, a cupboard with one door that doesn't close properly. i put my bags down and sat on the bed for a while without unpacking anything.

maa called around nine. i told her the room was nice. she asked if i had eaten. i hadn't. she went quiet for a moment, then said go eat something. i found a small place just below the building. got something, came back.

the job starts monday. two days from now. i keep thinking about it. what if i'm not good enough. what if everyone else already knows everything and i'm the one who doesn't. nagpur was one thing. this feels like a different kind of pressure entirely.

the rain hasn't stopped. the city sounds crowded even at night. more cars, more horns, more of everything. the wall behind the headboard is slightly damp.

i'm twenty four. i moved here for a reason. i just don't feel that reason right now.