Short Story || Gap 20 days

20 days ago

- Hey get up! Get up! It’s morning. I pushed my wife to wake up from bed in order to prepare my breakfast.

It was six o’clock morning. Our day was started with massive running. Yes I used the term as running. Because from day to dusk I and my wife didn’t get time to stand for a single minute. Some of you may think that I am over reacting but most of you, I think, will be agreed with me as in this mechanic city it’s a very common scenario for the family where both husband & wife are private service holders.  

At the beginning of running day I went to washroom to be fresh in a hurry with a tension whether water would be finished in shortest time and my wife tried hard & fast to prepare our breakfast with a speed of Michele Sukhamar as when ever gas density might be decreased. For me morning watch runs very quickly. Most of the mornings, I took breakfast without proper biting, as if I might miss our office bus trip. If once office bus gets missed then I have to face enormous trouble to go to office in time due to lack of space on public vehicles. Moreover as a private service holder it will also hit as a destructive cost on our salary.

On the other hand, daily race of my wife is more critical than that of me. She had to prepare breakfast & daily meal before leaving home for office challenging the availability of gas, water & electricity. Moreover she had waked up my only child morning and to prepare him to school. After dropping our child to his school she then went to her office.

We got only less than two hours to complete all these tasks. So we feel that life is a race and we all are racers to meet the target on time.

20 days later

- Hey dear please get up. It’s 10 o’clock morning. My wife asked me with a loving tone.

I denied her.

-Ohho! It’s so early morning. I want to sleep more.

I am wondered as our life style got changed rapidly with a remarkable turn during this lock down time of spreading deadly corona virus. We, full family, are passing our time at home. Every morning I help my wife to prepare breakfast. Then all days we spend time together doing some household works from cleaning to cooking. Now every noon we took meal together what was a dream to me just few days back when I had to take meal in office canteen in hot weather and my wife didn’t get time to take on time lunch as she had to pick up our child from school.   

Though lock down has created on us huge mental pressure but now I am trying myself to be busy in various activities. That’s why I can use my time for reading. Even after seven years I could manage time for writing again what was my passion once.

The most expecting time for me is evening. Due to movement restriction by local law enforces we have to enjoy our every second at home. So we enjoy our evening snacks sitting on balcony together. My baby child is playing and watching blue sky to find flying kites & birds. It’s most interesting that the kid tries to make story himself for us.

-Baba! Baba!  Do you know there is a king in a country but I forgot his name! Please give a name to the poor king!

Gentle breeze was blowing in evening. Birds were flying to their destination. Very few people walked on street. Police was patrolling. I requested my wife to sing a song. She started a song written by Rabindranath Tagore, Shakhi bhabona kahare bole…   

Time goes fly. We don’t know how long the lock down period will continue. I think most the service holders’ life has been changed with in a gap only 20 days. Many of them are passing free time. But how long it will? If this lock down continues more days situation may be uncertain where only the Almighty can save us.

However the situation is. The time I am passing with my family will be most memorable period of my life as we did not get such type of togetherness from my marriage to till now; it is about seven years, which gave me the feelings as living life with family is beautiful.