27-01-2021, 11:58 PM
It was still raining cats and dogs as I was standing under the shelter of the bus stop. Involuntarily I caressed my left hip, at the place where the rascal pinched me so hard. Even at the dim light I could see the skin that turned red now. I was the only person standing there as the others that got down either had umbrellas and walked away or had someone picking them up. It was only nearing five in the evening but was already getting dark. I was looking around hoping to find an auto, standing in the bus stop shivering all over due to the cold wind. My house is about 10 minutes walk from there but I was wary of walking in the rain since I was very prone to the migraine head ache if my head is wet for a sustained duration. Again, there was no luck and no autos to be seen anywhere in sight. After spending a cold fifteen minutes there I decided to walk home from the bus stop. As I stepped out in the rain, I was planning to dry my hair with the hair drier the first thing after reaching home. In the next few minutes the torrent rain, didn’t spare even a bit of me and I was drenched all over from top to bottom completely as I hurried off towards home, walking and running. I had covered my head with the pallu, which offered not even a meek protection. As I walked into my street, my house came in to view finally. When I saw my house I felt like an abandoned sailor lost in the sea, after days of his quest finally spotting land.
I hurried to my house, opened the compound gate and rushed to the front door and sighed a relief as I stood under the sunshade. I dropped the bag and fished for my keys in my handbag. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t find the keys!! I sat on the steps, exasperated, started searching for the keys frantically. I emptied the contents of the handbag on the floor and shook the handbag upside down. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I lost the keys!! The thought of it struck like a blow on my face. I was staring at the door for a long moment, dumbstruck. Finally, I was assessing my position. My husband Sunil was out of station on one of his field trips and would return only a two days later. His contact number is inside the house. I couldn’t remember his new office number too as he has moved in here quite recently. My son, is happily spending is summer holidays at his Grandma’s place 500kms away. He was so jubilant when he left last week, about the prospects of spending two weeks at his Grandma’s. So here I am stuck in this place all alone. I could get Sunil’s telephone number of his new office from the directory, but I need access to the directory. More importantly I am shivering now. We don’t have any relatives in this town and no friends from his work place that I know of, yet.
I hurried to my house, opened the compound gate and rushed to the front door and sighed a relief as I stood under the sunshade. I dropped the bag and fished for my keys in my handbag. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t find the keys!! I sat on the steps, exasperated, started searching for the keys frantically. I emptied the contents of the handbag on the floor and shook the handbag upside down. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I lost the keys!! The thought of it struck like a blow on my face. I was staring at the door for a long moment, dumbstruck. Finally, I was assessing my position. My husband Sunil was out of station on one of his field trips and would return only a two days later. His contact number is inside the house. I couldn’t remember his new office number too as he has moved in here quite recently. My son, is happily spending is summer holidays at his Grandma’s place 500kms away. He was so jubilant when he left last week, about the prospects of spending two weeks at his Grandma’s. So here I am stuck in this place all alone. I could get Sunil’s telephone number of his new office from the directory, but I need access to the directory. More importantly I am shivering now. We don’t have any relatives in this town and no friends from his work place that I know of, yet.