7 chapter -7 Footsteps

It was only a few weeks before her baby would set foot on this globe. I marked each and everyday that passed by on the calendar hung by my couch. I was excited to learn the fact that she was in good health, as we had had a conversation a couple of nights ago. It started getting cold by the beginning of September and I tried to complete my office exertions faster so that I could go home and ring Reema up, but I couldn't , things were messy back at my work station and projects took unusually more time then they should and as a result I got home late, sometime around 1 o 'clock and checked my cellphone to find thirteen missed calls from her , 'was everything okay?' I questioned myself, ' I do not want to think about any probability of mis happenings, certainly not ', I thought to my self. It was late and I couldn't afford to disturb her sleep at any cost, and made up my mind to call her at morning .

I woke up at half past nine and called her up. I Had a sleepless night and I was feeling exhausted with all the office work I had to carry out. I would be dead if I would have to work for a few more hours or so . I was well aware of the fact that I might have to take up days off to visit Reema, she needed me of course and I might have to travel for a few days. The phone kept ringing while I had been visiting thoughts in my mind, I looked through my window to find that it was overcast outdoors , the sky was gloomy and the swallows were returning back thinking it was evening already.

My cell phone rang a couple of times but the user on the other side wasn't able to pick the call up. Maybe she was sleeping , but she usually had the habit of waking up early in the morning. Back at Calcutta she used to visit me earlier than the cuckoo would leave her nest and wake me up, maa had left that job upto her, I customarily had the habit of staying up late with adventurous thoughts in my mind or reading some fictional novel, the thoughts and the writings of Oscar Wilde always captivated me to the utmost and also few Indian authors and poets including Tagore were inscribed on my mind ,mainly because maa forced me to. 'He is the jewel of Indian Literature' she'd say.

It had started pouring by now , and I picked up the thought of skipping my work today , I called a few folks only to find out that I'd have to omit the thought of skipping. Lately things had been a lot more hectic than they used to back at my work station. I put on my raincoat which had been in the need of washing , but I lacked time to do so , and it had been raining for quite sometime now , so the thought of washing wearables was absolutely inconceivable and I moved out of my apartment , grabbed my umbrella and left hastily.