After the storm

I rode a cab home from the airport. The day after the cloudburst in Mumbai. The day after my birthday. And everything was calm. And also, there was chaos. People were getting back to their families from wherever they had spent their night. And they were confused. With no traffic cops on the road, it soon became a pile up of vehicles. Everybody wanting to get somewhere, but stuck, feeling helpless. They were done being Samaritans and do-gooders. All they wanted was to get back to where they felt safe, like homing pigeons. 

It took me a couple of hours longer to reach home. But I’m sure it would have taken far longer for them to do so. I had no one waiting for me; I was calm. I was returning from being with the one person I love. 

I hope someone managed to unravel the Gordian knot and let the traffic glide away smoothly. I hope everyone is finally reconciled with their families.