7. Rain.

I put on my striped shorts and a grey colored v-neck tee, came out of the bedroom with rug sack on my shoulders. My mom said – Beta, It’s a weekday and where are you off too? I replied – Office mom, of course. Before she could respond, I had already stepped down.

I had determined to ride my two-wheeled black beast to the office although it was pouring. I wanted to make the 12 km ride simply worth. It was a unique day as I was not at all in a hurry to finish 12 km of my journey. Normally, I would take around 40 minutes which is quite acceptable as per Mumbai standards – be it infrastructure, be it the driving conditions or be it the heaps on vehicles on narrow roads of a maximum city.

With no wonders, I encountered a heavy traffic just before the flyover which connects the east and west part of my suburb separated by the life line of Mumbai i.e. the local rail. Although thankfully there is no lane-following mechanism and particularly two-wheeled beasts are in fact allowed and supposed to find their own way putting all their skills and creativity, this one was no easy bet. I was motionless for around 30 seconds and trust me; this is seriously insulting for almost any rider in the city.

Anticipating this state of no-motion to last longer, I chose to get off the bike and enjoy the unlimited shower under the sky directly from the ultimate source. In the midst of tons of people, I was simply with myself for those moments. Enthralling experience, it was. The best part, ironically was still the traffic was at a stand-still.

There was nothing surreal about it but I felt so blessed when I discovered a bhajji vendor. I couldn’t resist my self to give him an opportunity to serve me and make some money. I grabbed a plate of bhajji (a spicy Mumbai dish) along with a cutting chai (half glass tea). I was delighted after digging the food in my stomach through my tongue where all the taste was experienced.

The traffic had started moving and with mixed feelings I hopped on the bike and started cruising towards office. I reached office totally drenched but was more than happy till the time I flashed in my ID card. In no time, I rushed towards the wash room, changed my attire and came out in my business formals. It was like a beginning of new chapter where I started feeling it like any other day, pretending that nothing had happened in past one hour.

The Microsoft outlook reminder for the business meeting was good enough to erase the experience and get back to the rat race.