Rainy Day
It was getting late enough to be worried. I once again stepped onto the balcony and looked down. Except for a drenched street dog that was lying down miserably near the gate, there was not a soul to be seen anywhere. Rain water had puddled under the lamp post. A breeze ruffled the mango tree in the courtyard and a few twigs fell down and broke. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Did I hear a soft knock at the door? I turned back and while I was going towards the door I found that it was only the breeze that disturbed the mango tree that had played a little trick on me as well. Just as an empty brain is a devil's workshop, an anxious heart is an industry of false alarms and spurious hopes. We try to find solace in things that we make up. A truant dough of a wind made me hope for the arrival of my beloved.
The clock on the wall ticked restlessly as if it was one with me in my eager wait. Did the breeze speed up its hands? Strangely when we are short of time or our time seems to become heavier with boredom, we look at the clock time and again. It is the clock that makes us anxious by letting us know about the slipping of time and yet like a spurned lover still hopeful of a change in the heart of his beloved keeps looking at it. Does anxiety ignite poetry? It seems to be doing to me. I am used to being anxious waiting for Anuradha but not too much. She is quite punctual. I mean she is quite punctual in checking my Whatsapp, Facebook, and other messages for any interesting conversations I had in her absence. The word absence brings me back to the present situation. The clouds have been mercilessly beating down on the hapless city for the last three days. Situations were turning grim day by day. Many places were already flooded and the river was passing a little over the danger mark. The only bridge that connects our area with the rest of the city was in danger of getting inundated. I didn’t want Anuradha to go to work today but she is punctual and never misses her school. I argued that the toddlers whom she loves so much (sometimes I am jealous of them since I feel that she loves them more than she loves me) might not turn up and it could be a ‘rainy day’. Ah! ‘Rainy day’, what every child in every school dreams. Once or twice a year this unscheduled holiday always cheered me up as a child. It was only later that I realised that it was more to do with a technical issue in schools than a natural response to the beautiful weather.
Anuradha called me up in the morning and said that she is not going to have a rainy day today. It disappointed me. It had been long since we two sat together over a cup of coffee on a rainy morning to discuss every possible issue under the sun or the cloud! She should however, have been home a long time ago and she didn’t call either if she was going to be late. I keep calling her from my cell but there is no response from the other end. I tried to see if I had her school’s number but I understood that I never cared to have it. She was the one to take care of these things, not me. I thought of calling a few of her friends but I didn’t think that I would wait a little longer. I waited and then I called.
“Hello Indu... this is Pritesh...” All I could hear was static. Different numbers yielded the same results. Now was the time to panic. I tried to see if any of the neighbours were around but to my dismay none were there. What had happened to the world suddenly? While I was depressing myself over the situation the depression over our city deepened further and the distant rumbles came nearer and nearer making me almost deaf. I thought that I should watch T.V. to see what had gone wrong with the world outside. T.V. was also a static. It was time that I would go out and see for myself. I went out to the balcony one last time to see if any hope was on the horizon but even the dog near the gate had vanished without a trace. Did it forebode any terrible calamity? No, no I can’t be superstitious. Another long ominous rumble across the sky confirmed my misgivings. I wore my mackintosh, took my umbrella and after locking the door went out into the deluge. I thought that if I could easily get a bus or auto rickshaw from the ‘main’ road. It was a walk of about 10 excruciating minutes. The street was water logged and the water level kept rising now from the knee to the waist as I progressed further. I shifted the cell from the trousers to the shirt pocket.
The rising waters and the incessant drops which seem to increase with every minute didn’t stop me from reaching the bus stand. I thought my struggles were at an end and I would soon get something to ferry me to her school and then I would twist her ears for letting me be so anxious. I started waiting for the headlights of a bus or auto rickshaw for what seems to be an hour. Nothing passed, not even from the other side. The fruit vendor who was a landmark to the bus stand was not to be seen either. Where have all the people gone? Is there a flood in the city? Is everybody dead? Drowned? If that is true then how come I am left alive? Did I sleep through hell? No, I wasn’t asleep for that long.
Anuradha’s school was around eight kilometres away from where I stood. I mulled over walking. On second thoughts I realised that what if while I am going to look for her, she reaches home and worries herself sick? She would have a bad time that way. I looked at my cell and to my horror I found that it was switched off. I remember there hadn’t been any electricity from the previous night but then how could I switch on the T.V. today?
“Oh, shit! I never checked if the connection came back or not. Damn it!”
I was so engrossed with Anuradha not being home yet. It was perhaps three hours from her usual time of coming back. Where was she? I decided to walk towards the school. The rains were in no mood to stop. I looked up and found that the clouds were darker than I had ever remembered seeing them. My heart kept misgiving me. I went forth mustering courage. All the shops in the street were closed. I thought to myself that it was not normal for the shops to be closed, even the medicine shops! Al last I reached the bridge and my heart sank. It was not to be seen at all. It had completely gone under the raging river. But no it was not washed away. I could still make out the lamp posts that I had missed first. I could walk over the bridge if I can manage to stay near the parapet of the bridge. I waited for a few breathless moments and then throwing my caution into the raging waters I took my first step into the current. A huge lightening struck from the sky and the noise was like a prophecy heralding death and disaster. If my hands slip I could be washed away. I would never see Anuradha again. I shuddered in fear. Yet if she was in trouble then I have to help her, it is my duty. But who will help me? I am a poor swimmer. Anyway no amount of swimming would be able to tide over this river in its ferocious condition. I mustered all the courage I had left and took my steps cautiously.
With every step I entered deeper into the river. With every step I thought I was done for. I prayed for the rains to stop. But it wasn’t a day for prayers to be answered. The gods also had gone deaf from the crashing thunder. I kept inching towards the other end. The current was pulling my legs constantly. I was right in the middle of the bridge when my hands slipped and I was thrown to the other end of the railing but wasn’t thrown out of the bridge. Tears welled up in my eyes and I thought that this was the end of my life. What I regretted was that I could not see Anu for the last time. My hands were tired from the exhaustion and I could barely feel my legs. If only I had waited for the rains to stop. It was so foolish of me to jump into the bridge like this. I brightened up at the thought that if I die trying to reach her then I would be known in the world for my dedication to my love. Another Ranjha perhaps! Foolish thoughts. I brushed them away and went further and after what seemed an eternity I reached the other end. I was out of danger! I smiled at my own luck and felt brave.
“Hell, I did it.”
It was still another two kilometres to her school. But my body was exhausted. I remembered that I didn’t have lunch today. I felt more exhausted. I knew no help would come from the other side of the bridge but I hoped that someone would come from this side of the city. Out of exhaustion I sat under a sign board which ironically was of an umbrella. I thought of crawling on all fours but I was too exhausted even to do that. I waited for my body to take a little rest. By now it was already twilight though it made little difference but it made me all the more desperate to find Anuradha. I gathered my remaining strength and went ahead. I thanked my lucky stars when I found I was looking at the headlights of an auto rickshaw. I waved frantically at it but it didn’t stop. I screamed obscenities at it for not stopping and then when it did stop a few meters away I thought I was up for a beating but no one came out from the vehicle and I was more content that it did not stop.
Ultimately I reached the school only to find that there was no one in it, not even the guard to tell me as to where everybody could be. I pondered over the next course of action and by now I was sure that Anuradha was in some kind of trouble. All I could see was water everywhere. I thought of the worst. She couldn’t swim and as I crossed the river to come to her perhaps she too tried to do the same and washed away. There was hardly any energy left in my body to do anything else than to sit down but there was no place to sit. Then I thought of one last thing before I went to the police. Her friend lives nearby and I had gone to his place once. If I could put a little pressure on my groggy head I could try to find his place and maybe just find her as well. It was a race against time and my poor memory let alone my deteriorating glucose levels. If the water might not kill me this exhaustion is sure to do that.
After a lot of confusing meanderings in known and unknown streets I could finally make up my mind about the house. I approached the same with a thumping heart. As I was about to knock at the door I was thrilled by the recognition of the familiar shrill voice of Anuradha. She was laughing. Oh what relief came over me to find her safe and sound. There were other voices too. Everybody seemed to be in a cheerful mood.
“ It was simply great to have a day off like this, though at first seeing the kids in the school we thought that it would be a normal day. I called Pritesh and told him so and thank god that I did otherwise he would have been worried sick and I had to return but soon it was declared a rainy day. Thanks to our sweet princi! ” Auradha chirped.
“Yeah but I heard that the bridge was inundated.” An anxious voice could also be heard. It was her friend. She was right. Only I could know that; up close and personal. I kept listening to them.
“I am worried about Pritesh. It’s late as it is almost eight. He must be worried sick. I couldn’t contact him over the phone since morning. ” Anuradha said.
“Don’t worry. He will patiently wait for you at your house.” Consoled a voice.
“What else could he have done? Wade through this water? He is not that brave or energetic.” Another voice confirmed.
“We had a pretty jolly day today. I wish I could call over Pritesh but I couldn’t get through. Anyway you couldn’t have been across in this rain. Now that the rains have stopped I will take my SUV and drop you at your place. Don’t worry.” Anuradha’s colleague put her doubts to rest.
They were having a good time. She was safe. That’s all I wanted to be sure about. It was natural that I should have knocked and got in and should have returned to the house in her friend’s SUV but something inside me told me not to. I did not know what to do. I waited for sometime near the door then turned away. I did not want to ruin a perfect rainy day.
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