The wait, the connect, the need…..

Supriya kept waiting. Waiting for that person was not easy. The connect, the need she had for that person cannot be described in words. She looked at the clock. The hands were moving fast. She was getting anxious. She thought if she kept on waiting in this manner, she will have a nervous break down. It’s better if she immerses herself in work to forget that she was waiting.

She made herself busy in folding the clothes of her closet. She heard the phone ring. Her heart skipped a beat. Whose phone was it? She silently prayed that it should not be from the human she was waiting for. Because a phone call usually meant a cancelled visit. She did not want that. She saw the name on the phone. It was her husband. She picked it up. He said, ‘Let’s go for a movie after an hour. I will pick you up’. Her heart beat fast. She did not want to lie. But, if she said the truth, she will be in trouble. She said, ‘Umm well, I have a lot of work. Can we go later?’. Her husband said, ‘Well, today I have less work. So, I was thinking of going for this show.’ She said softly, ‘Please darling, let’s go later.’ He said, ‘Okay! I will book the tickets for some other time. Finish your work by then.’ She said, ‘Yes’, and hung up. Just then, she heard the elevator door opening. She rushed to see through the peephole. No, that’s not what she was waiting for. She sat down on the couch upset. Her heart ached. Nothing is more painful than this. Nobody can understand this wait. She bit her finger nails listening to every sound near the elevator. It has been one long hour now. She gave up. Slowly, she stepped towards the dining room and started picking up the plates. She heard a sound. The elevator door opened. She kept herself calm. She was already disappointed. She knew that the doorbell won’t ring. Lo and Behold, she heard her door bell ring. She ran to open the door. She looked through the peephole. She had tears in her eyes. She opened the door. There stood the person she was waiting for, the person who meant a lot for her, the person who understood her pain, the person without whom she would not have been such happy today. She opened the door beaming. Yes, right. It was Meena. Her househelp. Supriya’s sink was dumped with utensils. The marble floor of her kitchen had become black because she had spilled tea. The beds were unmade. If Meena had taken the day off, Supriya would have had to break her back doing everything. Meena was her lifeline. Waiting for her is like waiting for eternity. If Supriya had gone for movie today, Meena would have gone back. Supriya can’t make her husband understand that if Meena goes back, she won’t come back in the evening because she stays far. Sometimes, when Meena’s phone did not have enough balance, Supriya used to connect with her through telepathy. Somehow that worked. The connect with Meena and need for her was such that, Supriya gets impatient when she does not see her. That’s what ‘emotional connect’ is all about.