She had mild muscle aches throughout night which had made her sleep a little disturbed. She felt like sleeping a little more. The clock was showing 6.25 a. m. She rolled over on to her abdomen and tried to catch a little more sleep. Before she could go deeper into sleep,a myna started chirping by her bedroom window. She put one hand on her husband and opened her eyes to see him fast asleep. She woke up, as she had planned to make sambar and idli in the morning for breakfast. She moved to the rest room, brushed and changed her nightwear to a washed and neatly folded salwar. She combed her hair. Pasted a green bindi on her forehead and headed towards the kitchen. She opened the red cabinet door and pulled out the old style Horlicks bottle given to her by her mother-in-law years ago. She pulled the black plastic spoon and put three full scoops of coffee powder to her coffee machine, added water to the slot given for that and switched it on. She checked the milk boiler and poured the milk which she had boiled the night before to a steel vessel to set curd. She stirred a spoonful of curd to it and stirred it.
She went to the foyer, opened the door and found the plastic bowl kept for milk empty. She headed towards the balcony and opened the glass door to let the breeze in. It was very hot and sultry inside the house. She stood there for a few minutes and came in to find her husband sitting at the dining table. He had slept well. He was busy with his phone. She went out and walked north south in the silent corridor. Ten minutes went by. She came in to find him immersed in his phone. She was scared to open a conversation as she found his face to be serious. She went and sat down on the sofa. They both waited patiently for him to arrive.
For the past three years once or twice this has happened, but she felt she has no control on such things.
“When was he supposed to come?” He asked.
She said, “By now he should be here.”
The wait was too long. With no conversation going on, the house was in pin drop silence. She switched on the fan as the heat was intolerable. She found her husband to be restless. She didn’t want him to burst out in anger. She felt why does this happen? Her worries were seen on her face.
She thought, “what else can I do?” I never had thought he will do this today…It was 7.20 a. m. ” I will do what has to be done” she thought.
She moved towards the phone and called him. He didn’t pick the call. She tried twice to get no response from him. She put her mobile back to charge and picked the intercom and dialed the security. ” Hello” a male husky voice answered on the other end. ” I am calling from B 3-7. Hasn’t Kumar come yet?” She asked.
” No mam, seems he is sick and Suresh will be delivering milk instead. I had called him. He is yet to come mam.”
She kept the phone and returned to the kitchen.
–END–
