He should come and work in my place. Then only he will understand the difficulty. There was no wonder that I was really gnashing my teeth at all and sundry by the evening and wanted to get out of the office.
It was 6 and was time for me to leave. I closed the chests and cabinets and rushed to the elevator. Shit, it was just going down and I had to wait on the seventh floor. The wait seemed endless and in the meantime, some more joined me in the wait. Those hourglasses with glossy lips and jutting butts, who always babbled about something or the other.
My Goodness! At last the elevator came up and I found a place among those fleshy things, only to be flattened by those bulk bodies. The elevator stopped on each floor and people stepped out, people stepped in.
By the time we reached the ground floor, I was just like a ball without air, so tired and puny. I was turning malevolent towards one and all and cursed the whole world.
It was jam-packed at the car parking in the cellar and with great difficulty I could take my Hyundai out.
The road was full of traffic and pedestrians were moving along as if the road was made for them. The sidewalks were full of vendors, where bargain hunters flocked in large numbers, thus making the vehicular movements even more strenuous.
Now, as the traffic reached to a grinding halt at a busy crossroads, I just thought of which direction to take. It was not my apartment at suburban Gandhi Hills, of course. Then where? I was not sure, but I took the left turn and slowly drove off. I was moving involuntarily towards the lakeside. It was a quiet place to sit for a while, to have a whiff of fresh air, to see the monolithic statue of a pensive Buddha and to stare at the speedboats splashing through the water.
I parked my car at the lot. I found a deserted recess and sat down on the grass under a tree and was trying to get back to normal. Couples were moving around, some were sitting and chatting, some others leaning on tree trunks and smooching and yet some hugging and whispering.
As I looked on, I could see only pairs, young and the old alike and some streetwalkers waiting for customers. Urchins were around trying to sell ice creams and coffee, but I was alone. All alone in a crowded place. The more I looked around, the more I felt nauseating and wretched.
No, it's not my place. I got up thinking of the next destination. I knew that all public places would be crammed and the only alternative was to find a watering hole in the suburbs.
I fastened my seatbelt and started the car and drove past the rushing crowd. It was 8 when I reached the Hunt Pub on the outskirts of the city and as usual, nightlife had already got momentum and people, in pairs and in groups, were dropping in.
I managed to find a dark corner, where I could have a better glance of voluptuous bar dancers tripping the light fantastic to the tunes of Pop albums. The semi-clad beauties were exposing their cleavages and thighs to the maximum and vying with each other in attracting the customers.
I ordered some brandy and snacks and started sipping it, tapping my foot to the rocking music. I was trying to get rid of the office blues.
It was then, quite by chance, I noticed a familiar face sitting at the counter and sipping vodka. My Goodness! Wasn't it Sister Fidelia in mini-skirt and backless top? I couldn't believe my eyes! Yes, it was the same nun with angelic face and divine grace, who used to frequent our street every morning, tending the sick and caring the orphans. I used to look for minutes together when she was in deep prayer at out parish church.
I was really puzzled and wanted to make myself sure. I already had three pegs and was getting kick of the French brandy. I got up, rushed to the bar counter and lo! she wasn't there.
I was sure I saw her. I just wanted to ask her what she was doing in a tavern. I gave my credit card to the bearer and made the payment. Immediately I rushed out side, hoping that she would be seen. Street was brightly lit by mercury streetlamps and it was very easy to identify people at a distance.
I started looking for her desperately, but in vain. I started my car and drove fast hoping against hope that I would meet her somewhere. It was a wild goose chase and I drove and drove across the city.
I was tired and was left with no more hopes. I finally drove off to my apartment and parked the car at the cellar.
Nobody was there to wait for me as I was living alone. As soon as I went inside, I picked up a bottle of strong wine and started drinking again.
I didn't get forty winks that night and was wondering what happened to the world. I was confused and more confused.
I could hear the early-morning prayer through a loudspeaker from a nearby mosque. It was the birth of yet another day. I was fully drunk and was hungry like anything. I didn't have the stamina to get up and move to kitchen.
I was worse than dead. I didn't understand why I was so miserable. My eyelids were not under my control.
I just poured another large peg and swallowed it. I was slowly entering into a deep slumber.
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