The day begins with a long struggle, fighting with laziness more than gravity to lift myself up from the bed and put my bare feet down on the frosty floor, chilled by the night’s icy breaths. I pull myself together, dragging myself to face the next battle with the frozen water that comes out from the solar heater that itself battles with the everlasting rain to get few rays of the hiding sun. After an hour of endeavour, I find myself on a long dreary walk to the bus stop, a place a bus hardly ever crosses, and if it does, hardly ever stops. As I walk, I half heartedly open my eyes, and my glance immediately falls on the innumerable cows and pigs and dogs hovering around the petty little street .The distinct smell of dung thereof wafting through the morning breeze, makes me crinkle my nose and carry my legs a little faster at least for the sake of my lungs. Reaching the bus stop, I spend yet another hour, aimlessly watching the people passing by. Wealthy officers in their Audis, young mothers dragging their yelling tiny tots to school, college studs on their powerful Royal Enfields, daily wage earners on their rusty old cycles, health conscious joggers on a run to catch up with their dogs, and finally people like me devoid of a private vehicle, who end up at the never ending wait at the bus stop. And here comes the next battle . Once in a week, the bus magically appears, and I get carried into the bus like a sugar cube by millions of ants crowding around me. The ten minute journey seems to last an unbearable hour, sandwiched between strangers and their atrocious stares. The rest of the week, I give up on the wait at the stop, and walk to the auto stand for a ten minute quarrel with the drivers who charge me like I own several gold mines. Eventually, they agree with a grumpy face for a slightly reduced charge and take me to my second home, complaining the entire way. The rest couple of hours fly away keeping me busy with pointless work, half my mind wondering what would be on the menu for lunch. After a quick lunch that burst my bubbles of all the food I had imagined earlier, I walk back disappointed back to my den. The rest of the evening drags along with me gazing at my wrist every second minute, to see if it is time that I could ask my guide, if I could retire for the day, without ruining her impression about me being a hardworking and enthusiastic girl! *wink*
And yet another struggle comes on the way back home, with the morning scenario of infinite wait repeating itself again. Another wait, another quarrel, another journey brings me home, a place I love the most as soon as soon as leave it in the morning. And remembering what someone said “beggers cant be choosers” I happily face the final battle of the day, my dry dinner, everyday a replica of the previous. My heart unwilling to eat, but cries from my stomach forcing me to gulp it down. After which, following a few minutes of sobbing, I fall into a deep long sleep letting my dreams take me into a beautiful trance, a place where there are no battles to fight and I find myself smiling happily away from all worries.
And in this way, the days in a week go by and the weeks in a month go by. But I do know, that a year later, as a reward for the sacrifice I did, giving up time with my loved ones, I will indeed a emerge a brave soldier who has won a million fights in the battle field of life.
