Adultery A Night of Error - (Completed)

[usaiha2]

(19)


People were packed like sardines, and the searing heat made the atmosphere unbearable. Their hands were firmly holding the long steel rod or similar other clings for support. It was difficult to move to stretch one's limbs. All were badly perspiring.

She was slowly getting drenched in her sweat, and therefore pulled out her handkerchief to freshen herself. The Bus jerked vigorously. The conductor of the Bus asked the people standing to move to the front of the Bus, so that he could squeeze in a few more people boarding the Bus. The conductor of Bus was pushing everybody to move further, so that he could accommodate more passengers in next stoppage.

He touched the body of Usha, and pushed her ahead. Usha wondered and, shocked what types of roughness these Bus people are. He was yelling in a loud voice to all, "move...Move...move further."

Usha was in her salwar/kameez, the strap of her college bag was hung over her shoulder. She was standing and to keep her balance, she was holding the long steel rod hung under the roof of the Bus. She was pressed among the people. The bodies of the people were being pressed in to her from all sides, touching heavily. She had never experienced this before.

The bus had started moving in a slow pace. Noisy discussion began to be heard in all corners. The Bus driver was stamping on the brake pads so often, which jolted, and jerked every one inside the Bus. Accidentally, everyone was rubbed and touched. More passengers were getting in to the Bus at each stop. The inside of the Bus was hardly visible, as only one or two bulbs were in a dim light. She was hardly breathing, luckily, the windows were opened, and air was coming in from outside.

The Bus made a sudden halt, and she was being pushed forward by somebody whose body fell on her. She angrily took a quick glance behind her, and found a person of 55 yrs old man standing behind her. A black colored person, with disheveled grey hairs. His face was full of unshaven white beards and mustache. He was wearing a navy blue uniformed soiled shirt, with the letters inscribed in chest as ''DM'' means Dhanbad Municipality. He was wearing a khaki half pant.

Usha could easily understand that the person was a sweeper of municipality. She had seen often these kinds of persons sweeping the street and cleaning the drainage. His hand extended above her left shoulder, gripping the steel rod of the Bus.

He was grinning, and showing his yellow and black teeth said, "Sorry, Beti, (Daughter) the people behind me are pushing hard."