The rainy night

It has been raining continuously since morning. Although the weather app showed 18 degrees, it felt like 4 or 5 degrees. As the clock struck 10:15 pm, I realised??there was no hot water. The power went off and unable to switch on the induction in inverter mode, I walked down the stairs to fetch some water.?

Humming to the patter of the rain drops, I removed my slippers in the veranda and turned to my right shocked to see a thin image in darkness wrapped in maroon bed sheet and sitting still in a corner chair at the closed veranda inside the gate. I was almost breathless for a second seeing a stranger at this time. I couldn’t scream but almost screamed.

With a shivering voice he said “Gurkha” and his teeth was grinding against each other to the cold. It was a pity to see this and I bowed my head not knowing what to speak.

I could guess what must have happened and who brought him here.?

As I entered the house, I saw steam coming out from the kitchen. I was sure it was my father. “Appa, are you preparing tea? Can I make it” I asked my dad. He said “it’s done”. He narrated that he felt too cold last few days and saw the Gurkha shivering two days back. Since then he had asked him to get tea every night from my house. It was 10:30 pm. "That's Pranav's flask" as I said, my dad showed his hands to stop me and continued.

Pouring three cups of hot tea into the flask, fetching a steel tumbler, my dad asked me for a small bag. “Appa, wait - let’s give him a bed sheet” I went upstairs and couldn’t find anything that could withstand the cold outside. I grabbed my husbands quilt while he was in the rest room still and all that I could hear is the world news from his phone. Fetching one pair of thermal wear, I went down.?

I explained about the thermal to my father and asked him to give it to the Gurkha.

“Ji, this piece before your shirt” my father was struggling with the language and spoke in English with action. “Tanda kam aaguthey bhaiya” I mixed up several languages and my daughter started laughing.?She showed me from the phone on what I can say.

My husband entering the veranda from the stairs teased me for my language too. He gave me a staring look identifying his quilt and I winked at him showing "please". He then smiled at me. “Amma, either speak or don’t speak. Don’t mess up with so many languages” my daughter pulled me.?

“Artha aagutha bhaiya? Hindi nahi maalum” as I said, the gurkha smiled and said a long long sentence - although I couldn’t understand it I was happy to see his smile.?

Taking the flask, the thermals and the quilt, he nodded his head and took leave. “Come tomorrow” my dad walked with him till the end of the street talking to him. As he returned he said “You know he has one kid and he works at night and his wife goes for domestic work as he looks after the kid in the morning”. I was laughing knowing he enquires every little thing and knows everyone around.

I walked upstairs to put my son to sleep. He said “Amma, kul” showing signs of cold. Slowly he went to sleep. Entering the room, my husband said “is there atleast a bed spread for me” and I said “sorry just adjust with this for a night and we can get one tomorrow”. I handed over my bed sheet. “Good that you didn’t throw me out” he laughed as I winked.

I walked to the balcony hearing the whistle sound, it was the Gurkha walking around with his umbrella.

As the night was still, I was pondering about life. When was the last time we walked in the cold? When was the last time we got drenched completely and still had to work in the rain? When was the last time we had to spend a sleepless night shivering?

It’s easy to live a comfortable life and still complain - this is what many of us do. There are millions of people doing a hard job, amidst rain and cold just to earn a living.?

Are we thankful for the life we have? Are we atleast saying thank you to our community helpers? Are we even smiling or bringing a smile to the ones who make our lives easy? Isn’t it because of these helpers that we sleep peacefully!?

Put your phone aside, get down from the car, walk out in the cold, and walk to the streets. We would see and understand what life is! Once we understand, we would atleast strive to smile and bring a smile!

“The rainy night, the thin stranger, the hot tea and his smile” had millions of untold stories that made me sleep restfully and restlessly!?