I Wish...

You are struck in a traffic jam. Honking doesn’t help. Tempers flaring high. Frustration building inside. It is just you and your vehicle and the stupid old Red Light!!!

I still vividly remember the day while I was coming back from an outing with one of my close friends. It was one of those burning hot May Day when the Sun was shining way too brightly on top of us. We had decided to go out simply because it was DAY of freedom- Exams had finished and we had nothing better to do so we decided to strike it out. After traveling the whole of Delhi, that day, it was 6 in the evening when we started back to our respective places of safe haven. I boarded an auto thinking I would reach home swiftly in another 30 minutes but alas, I completely forgot about the horrendous Delhi jam. And during the office hours it is at its height. My autowallah turned off his gurgling vehicle and waited impatiently for the huge cars to start moving ahead. I was busy fixing my antique MP3 player when I heard a tap-tap sound. I looked around but could not figure out what it was or where that soft sound came from. Concentrating back on my mechanistic skills, I began fiddling with my MP3 yet again and there came a bang-bang sound. I again looked up curiously and to my surprise I found a little baby in a swanky Honda City playing with the window pane and banging hard on the glass. Its Pay-Attention-To-Me attitude impressed me so much so that I began staring at him intently. Like an interested spectator, I witnessed his juggling skills and tumbling over and what not. His naïve smile with fingers rolled up on his eyes, made me wonder… "Waooh... you are so lucky kid!!! You don't have to face the hurdles of life! You have a long way to go! And you can afford to enjoy, kick and smile! I envy you! Wish I was a kid again…. Wish I could get back my childhood yet again… Wish I could have those carefree days again in my life…. I spent the next 15 minutes watching his extra-ordinary kiddish antiques.

Suddenly the Honda City swooshed past me and the age-old Auto roared back to life. I realized the jam was clearing out. The child was gone and so was my smile. It was back to the grind. Tension loomed large. “I hope I reach safely back home. It was already past 7. Notorious Delhi and its traffic… Phew!!! “, my mind grumbled. This is ADULT LIFE.


Any takers???