by Gitanjali Maria
(Kochi, India)
I fold the newspaper, set it aside and stretch my legs and hands. The little remains of coffee in the cup on the side table has dried, leaving behind a stain. I stare outside through the mosquito netted door. It is scorching hot. The summer has just begun but the heat is already taking a toll. I’m using both the fan and the air cooler to keep myself comfortable. But in the coming months I feel that these won’t be enough. I get up from the cane chair, reminding myself once again that I need to get an AC soon. The inverter sends a beep-beep sound signaling that the power has gone out and it has become functional.
What use will the AC be if the power goes off so frequently, I mutter to myself angrily and frustrated. My wife is sweating in the kitchen, the heat outside and inside is manifested in her temper too. She snaps as Kiran, our six-year-old son, leaves the tap open after washing his hands.
“Don’t waste water. I’ll make you stand in the water queue the next time the tanker comes.”
Yes, water too has become a scarce commodity. The municipal water now comes only twice a week and that too the pressure is very weak. A water tanker comes every alternate day for the entire colony and ladies fight over who should get the first chance to connect the hose pipe from the tanker to their respective homes.
“We should all go and live in some hill station”, my wife shouts as she sees me enter the kitchen with the empty dried up cup to be washed.
“Oh, yeah…that’s a good idea”, I think in my mind. “Why don’t we just go somewhere this weekend? Maybe to Shimla, Manali or Mussorie. You’ll also get a break”, I say, hopeful that she’ll cool down a bit hearing it.
She does some calculations in her head. Tanker comes on Friday, municipal water on Saturday. So we should be fine since we’ll be able to collect water both the days even if we go to Shimla during the weekend if we leave the valve to the water tank open.
The kids aged six and four were all excited to go to the hills too. We decide to drive down to Shimla instead of taking the bus since it was more comfortable.
The hills are much cooler than the plains. We enjoy the view of the snow clad mountains, the pine trees, and the misty air. Since it was the beginning of summer, the place was just starting to get filled with tourists, who like us have come here to escape the heat.
“Why don’t we come here every week, every holiday?” little Aryan asks innocently.
My wife looks at him, surprised first and then seconds the idea saying, “That’s a very nice idea, Babloo. Why don’t we come here every weekend? It will be a relief from the heat and a relaxation for you from your hectic office schedule.”
I frown. “We’ll think about it”, I murmur. But in my mind I have almost made the decision to come here every weekend. Even I have got fed up of the heat as well as the boring everyday schedule.
And for the next four weekends, we drive down to this beautiful place.
Comments for Lesson Learnt, Action to be Taken
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