Monsoon Mayhem

The first day of September, it was a lovely day for ducks.,raining in torrents since wee hours. Being a pluveophile,rains instill into me an uncanny quietude and happiness and everything around turns into a soothing paradise. So it was apparently going to be a cheerful drive early morning to my work place.  The pitter - patter of rain ,the splash and slosh of the puddles formed brought a naive and veritable smile on my face. Whole ambience was  teeming with happiness and crackling with exuberance .I  go into a voyage of memories while prominading in my car.

In  no time ,I am jolted out of my reverie .The roads getting clogged and chaotic,vehicles turning the roads into a colossal parking lot.In a jiffy, I find myself navigating an unruly,messy and mobbed traffic snarl. I rue the time ,I left my home without checking on the traffic  status because of water logging.

The vehicular traffic grows thick and fast,all stranded to a grinding halt. Spiffy,groovy cars cheek by jowl. A dazzling white Ciaz ahead,agrand i10 on left and an identical Baleno on my right,and both look like tweedledee- tweedledum. I almost memorised the number plates ahead of me. In the mean time I gave some on line consultation  s,checked on half a dozen investigation s, blurted out my ordeal to my parents ,kids and few friends. Never before listened to radio FM with such alacrity . On craning my neck outside,it looked like an unending trail ,so turned on the news and updated myself of all the events happening around the globe ,from Talban to Covid..All the fellow drivers exchanging sombre,gloomy looks and equally miffed  but dilly dallying and passing the time on social media. A cursory glance on my fuel indicator gives me creeps,the needle is just shy of hitting 'E'.Again I chide and nag myself for not checking the fuel status before starting off.It seems to be day of self loathing and despising,but I feign to project a cool which I don't possess. There is no one to vent my wrath on,so I swallow the ire and anger. Going frugal with petrol,I switch off the engine,roll down the windows to let in some fresh air,but the stench of smog and smoke makes me queasy and woozy. The masks clasped around the face adds to the torment.

After about forty minutes,there is a sloth like movement ,say a few centimetres ever minute,that takes a heavy toll on my feet ,and knees ,frequently switching off and on  the engine,so that I don't run out of fuel,invites a stacato of honks and hollers .The truculence and belligerence of other stranded drivers is noticeable in the frequency and pitch of honks. I envy the two wheelers and pedestrians who squeeze into the tightest of spaces and contort themselves to saunter ahead. The whooshing metros too turn me green with envy ,but what can not be changed has to be endured. I am bemused at my composure because patience has never been an attribute.

What started as a cool ,balmy morning turns into a harried,sweltering afternoon. The snail pace driving,takes a toll on my wiggly feet and aching wrists. The nerve jangling commute becomes a nightmare  to be pinned in my memory for ever.

Exhausted and exasperated ,before reporting to my duty ,I let my car guzzle down a good amount of petrol. And once reaching my work place after three long hours, the litany of traffic woes is shared by one and sundry. The return commute is equally tiresome and fiendish and I am thinking of brewing myself a hot cup ofcoffee  once at home ,as am totally sapped of energy by such a grinding and gruelling day.

Once at home,I head towards the kitchen and to my chagrin,the kitchen is cluttered with unwashed dishes and the leftover food, by now fossilised on plates. The utensils seemed to glower and scowl at me. Maid has not come because of incessant rain,she has availed a rain holiday!!! Once again I swallow my wrath. The tranquil morning, stifling afternoon and a languishing evening turns into a torpid night and before hitting the pillow ,I am in a quandary. Does the rattling , squeaky car need to be driven to a mechanic  first or my decrepit  creaky bones and joints to an orthopaedician ? Because both can screech to a sudden ,juddering halt.