mumbai — monsoon diary 2024
Amidst a slight drizzle, I saw her rush across the crowded street, unmindful of the swirl of vehicles, completely focused on her objective — the 8:15 bus to the railway station. The bus started off unmindful of, her protestations, her pleading thumps on its flanks; the bus driver had his own schedule to meet. I saw her disappointedly give up, resigned to her fate; clutching her bag and umbrella she stood calculating the cascading effect of missing her bus and then her connecting train.
And then wonder of wonders, the bus stopped a few metres ahead. I could see some beaming faces in the bus; victorious. Must be her “bus” friends who had managed to convince the conductor to have the bus stopped. All smiles she ran across the final few meters and clambered in. Hugs followed.
A small battle was won today. We will worry about tomorrow when the day dawns.
