As I sit in the rickshaw and I begrudgingly reflect upon my day, I realise that today, like almost all of my days, has been quite harrowing.
My day started rather early. Yes, as usual, it was a sheer battle of will to peel my rather comfortable blanket off of me, and to untangle myself from my shrimplike stance. As my reluctant brain kicked into action, I dreaded having to face the day. I breathed in and out calmly, in a futile attempt to convince myself that today would be better than usual. My usually sombre face lit up at the thought of my partner and the day seemed surmountable when I thought about the conversation I’d have with him.
I continued breathing calmly as I went about with my morning shower and routine. Breakfast was a thing of the past and I’d gotten into a rather unhealthy habit of eating only when I felt hungry. Yes, food was and still is one of my coping mechanisms. I glanced at the geyser as I bathed in cold water. The geyser had stopped functioning a while ago and my ass for a flatmate didn’t bother getting it checked. I’d been travelling and busy with work and I didn’t have the time or the energy to yet again fulfil another home improvement project. I was sick and tired of being the housekeeper and my blood boiled with range everytime I saw my cohabitor flouncing around the house as if she owned it and I was a kept servant. Anyway, back to the geyser. It was not working and I missed my long hot showers.
I cast a guilty glance at the washing machine and the drying stand. The laundry was long pending and I hadn’t gotten to it yet. I could sense the all too familiar stabbing ache in my chest, yet again. It was a dull ache that had become part of me. And I didn’t know how to get rid of it.
I rummaged through my cupboard and managed to find a decent pair of apparel for work. Threw it on hastily, spent some time cuddling the cat and left for work after checking the time, my calendar for the day and ensuring my work bag had all that I needed. I didn’t pay attention to my greasy hair or my unkempt face as I stepped out. Which was quite unlike me.
Then there was the struggle of hailing a rickshaw to work. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait much and got a ride. I’m usually very tardy with withdrawing cash and have to find a mode of transport that allows online payments. Thankfully, I did have some cash on hand that came in handy.
I worried about work on the way to work. I always wore my headphones when on the way to work, to distract and entertain myself. I also thought about my cat, she’d grown distant and nowadays refused to sleep with me at night. It was probably because I’d been away for long and she’d probably gotten more accustomed to my flatmate. My headphones ( per usual ) were out of charge and I also fretted about that. Each night I made a mental note to charge them, and each morning I forgot.
At work, I worried about work again. I was doing a lot of firefighting and yes, let’s face it, I was struggling at work for about a month or so. I had meetings, calls, work, casual chitchat, semi tense conversations with the boss. It was a roller coaster of emotions.
In light of my recent epiphany and big decision, I conferred with my partner about a couple of things. Fortunately or unfortunately, that led to an altercation of sorts, which led to a harsh exchange of syllables. It put me in a rather foul mood.
As I went through the day without my anchor (aka my partner) it got more and more difficult. At around noon, I made the rather impromptu decision of getting the third dose of a vaccine that I was due for by early March.
I contacted my gynaecologists office and asked them for it. They said that the vaccine would have to be specially ordered and that they would be able to administer it late in the evening. I argued with them and asked them to expedite it.
On a whim, I made lunch plans with a close friend. I informed my boss that I would be leaving work a bit early (my fried nerves were furthermore frazzled) and the never ending debate of reaching out to my partner had to be quietened. Thankfully, my confidante too had taken half of the day off and was more than willing to meet for lunch.
At around 2 pm, I left work, went home (again, a tactfully planned auto ride) changed into a different pair of clothes and reached the venue.
My gracious friend had selected a rather nice restaurant which unfortunately had only outside seating. The Google reviews showed indoor seating and upon investigation, I was told that the pictures were that of another branch. It wasn’t an appealing idea to be partaking of a meal with a dear friend, in the sweltering heat of Mumbai.
Luckily there was a rather wonderful Mexican restaurant, about a hundred metres away. My friend had ordered in from the place multiple times and swore by their salad bowls. What I particularly liked about him was his tendency to levitate towards healthier food and lifestyle options.
We spent a calming couple of hours at the restaurant. It had really authentic Mexican food which was relatively healthy and filling. We spoke about our issues, about general things. But primarily, we spoke about how we perceived things and how we were dealing with life, one day at a time. We were empathetic to each others case. We ordered a series of dishes and I particularly liked the soft tacos. We ended the meal with some really good churros. Boy, it had been a while since I had had some good churros!
It was a sight for sore eyes. Two introverts, chatting away to glory. As I listened patiently to my friend talk (animatedly so), i reflected back to our first meeting. Then, I was the more talkative one and he assumed the role of the quiet, wise listener. I was glad that he had opened up.
On the surface, both of us seemed fine. But only we knew, we truly weren’t
As the clock struck half past 6, we decided it was time to leave. Yes, the work calls did bother me during my time off, but I patiently catered to them.
My friend headed home, after ensuring I had sat in the rickshaw. On the long drive to the gynaecs clinic, I pretty much just scrolled my phone and had a short chat with my parents and texted a friend.
After a long ride, I finally reached the clinic. It was around 20 past 8 at the time.
I chose to go by the lift, instead of the stairs this time around.
As I alighted at the Dr’s office, I started worrying about the pain of the vaccination.
I finished the formalities and was asked to wait in the opd. A young nurse filled in a fresh syringe with my vaccination and asked me to lie down and administered the shot to me. Prior to poking me with the needle, she asked me to take a deep breath in. I fixed my gaze at a pile of old admission papers and did so. Ouchie!
The shot was quick albeit painful. After it, I lay down for a bit still waiting for the pain to subside. After a couple of moments, I got up, buttoned my pants, made the payment for my vaccination, and booked my ride home.
It was a quicker ride home, since traffic was contained. On the way back, I wrote this piece and my mind started wondering what I would like to junk out for, during dinner.
The day has been long. And many other things too. Albeit, the highlight of my day was the sui in my tui!
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