She worked on the project report late into the night. Only after finalizing it and sending it back to her son did she feel relieved. Then she slept peacefully, stretching out comfortably.
The remaining sliver of the night passed in the blink of an eye. At 5 AM, the alarm rang loudly and harshly.
"What a nuisance!" she muttered, pulling her hand out from under the blanket to silence the alarm, as if she were shooing away a stray dog that had wandered into the house.
She had forgotten that her husband had to leave at 7 AM instead of the usual 8 AM due to an important meeting, which was why the alarm had been set the previous night.
Her husband, however, was completely undisturbed by the alarm's shrill sound.
After all, it was her duty to wake up early, make tea, wake him up, lay out his clothes in the bathroom, prepare his lunchbox, and make breakfast. Then, she'd organize his office bag, ensuring everything was in place. What good would it do for him to wake up amidst this faint hum of grumbling?
And yes, that wasn't the end of it. She also had to check if the gardener’s boy had cleaned the car properly the day before, because if there was any dust, she would be the one to hear about it. The gardener’s boy wouldn't arrive until the afternoon. Thankfully, she was at peace on that front since they had taken the car out last night.
She felt a twinge of frustration but then realized she had no one to be annoyed with. It was her own decision to stay up late. She got up.
No matter how many chores awaited her, they were her daily routine, and she had become used to them. So, everything was quickly taken care of.
Only after her husband's car had pulled out of the gate did she feel at ease. Now the entire day was hers, to do whatever she pleased, in whichever way she wanted.
Meanwhile, her husband felt that although leaving home early took a bit more effort, it had its advantages. Look at how empty the streets were; there was hardly any traffic.
Even as he turned into the office parking lot, he felt content. The whole lot was empty. Only a handful of people had arrived so far, and there were only a few cars. On most days, it's a real struggle—blaring the horn five or six times just to get an entry. The poor parking attendant would be running back and forth, blowing his whistle.
He casually bypassed the attendance system and headed inside, where he saw his office boy standing outside his cabin with a glass of water on a tray. Neither the boss nor the others expected for the meeting had arrived yet.
Look how efficient people are when there are fewer people and less work. By 10 AM, there’d be a line at the water cooler even for a drink.
After a sip of cold water, he felt refreshed. Swinging his office bag in his hand, he reached for the handle of his cabin door.
As soon as he peeked inside, it was like being hit with 880 volts of electricity. His bag dropped from his hand.
Sitting in his revolving chair, talking to someone on the phone, was none other than his wife!
“What the...!”
(To be continued)
