Driving Past

Ushashi consulted her Timex Expedition and believed she had the time to go through her house one last time. Her one room shack she called home for the last three years. She could finally pay the rent for eleven months in advance and move to another one-room flat, but with its own bathroom, kitchen and tiny living space. Enough to call it 'big' home. Last night, after the awards ceremony, the CM took special care at the dinner to see that she was helped with housing. She went through the cheap posters of goddess Kali, her favourite, and one of Madhuri Dixit, another favourite. Next to it was a relatively new but equally glossy and off-the-footpath poster of Deepika Padukone, her latest favourite. Just under it was a queue of Shahrukh Khan cut-outs from newspaper. She had decided to leave it all behind. With a sudden jolt, she picked up her only bag that fitted in all her clothes and another rucksack which completed her belongings and moved out. The cup of tea remained unfinished on the rack by the long mirror, both sides of which were bindi clad, or bindi-glue clad.

Having two hours to report to work, she moved out quickly into the parked car. There were no farewells, nor feet-touching blessings. It was just like any other morning which had an early morning shift. The activities on the road were completely different from what it would be like in two hours. There were morning-walkers in shorts and mufflers, more tea sellers, newspaper sellers and vendors and the occasional flower distributor. They had a busy schedule through which Ushashi drove past into hers. 

She deposited her belongings into her new home and ran out. The newness was hostile. She had to do it up starting tonight. All the casual eavesdropping she precariously learned from, from the backseat women, on their shopping trips to deck up their homes, she would slowly apply for her own. Becoming a driver was not an easy task. Being accepted as one was barely so. She persisted. As Ushashi waited at the last signal before her office premise, she bought a newspaper from a little boy on the road. She was one of the faces of the women who made it to 'Women Power' awards. Neither glamorous, nor dashing, yet at the driver's seat, as they say, she held the helm.