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The call of the duty.


Late working at office. Next day, early morning flight to catch. Call a cab. It’s obvious. It’s safe. It’s ideal.
I had the readymade solution. Finished the work at night went to a nearby colleague’s home to take a short nap.  Called the cab.  The cab arrived.  And before I headed for the airport, asked the driver to stop at my office for a luggage pick up. Everything was fine. Everything was on time.  The cab stopped in front of the lift at the basement, I left my lap top bag on the seat and went up.
I was back at the basement in a few minutes. It was dark. It was empty.  It was eerie. Intuitively, I walked towards the driveway to find the cab. Only the buildings, the lamppost and the silence of the night were waiting for me. I rushed, towards the main gate with a hope that the cab would be on the main road. Meanwhile called the cab guy’s phone; the IVR said the phone was out of.
Did he run away with my mother’s wedding jewelry and my laptop? How will I reach the airport? Why did I keep the bag inside the cab? Whom shall I call for help? What will happen? My head was heavy with thoughts. My body was numb. While, the earth below my feet was slipping away.
Dialed the cab service, after a long wait, heard a human voice. I snubbed him in the middle of his greetings with my concerns.  The indifferent voice told me to look for the cab at the pick-up point. Kept the phone down after saying the cab must be there.
Empty roads, whizzing night cabs, stray dogs, and halogen lights were my only companions. Rushed towards my colleague’s apartment; lugging along my backpack and dismal thoughts. Instead of the cab, dismay was waiting there.
 Approached the customer care of the cab company again and the routine product promotions pierced my brain. Tears were dripping. Patience was dwindling. Hope was dribbling. That was the point when the barrier of civility was broken. I screamed my lungs out at the voice on the other end. The decibel of my voice was so high that it even raised the ears of the street dogs.
The voice retained his calm and insisted me to call the driver before he hanged the phone. Mechanically, I followed his instruction. Numb limbs came to life again, the moment the phone was ringing on the other end. I turned my head towards the fag end of the driveway and saw a man under the halogen lamp.
Limping leg. Loaded backpack. Parched throat. Nothing really came on my way when I ran towards the man. I heard the voice on the phone. “Madam, I was waiting for you at the basement in the car.”    

      

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