April 08, 2006

Kiss & Lick

I am cooped up inside the house, hoping to be sheltered from the humidity. It's unbearably hot. Summer always makes me feel lethargic, and I am not used to sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I stand up with a sense of purpose and know that I have to get out of the house. Out in the sun? A voice asks. Well, yes, I need to get out. And its almost evening, the weather can only get better. Not that I have to defend myself to myself. I smile, aware of how ridiculous that sounds.

The heat envelops me in a dizzying embrace. I want no part of it. The ground seems to radiate waves of hot air. I will make it to the park and catch my breath there, I tell myself. I feel like a gladiator as I finally make my way through the gates of the park. I sit on the bench and take a deep breath. This place is pure heaven, I realise that is the reason I wanted to get out so badly. The edges of the park are surrounded by a short hedge. A cement pathway surrounds the perimeter of the park, for joggers. Inside that, there is a violent splashing of plants and flowers of all colours. Green grass for people to sit on, steps right across the middle as the park is set on a slope. Its blissfully cool in here.

I smell it first. And I lift my face expectantly. The first drop of rain on my lips. Much more gratifying than a lover's kiss. Some of the joggers hurry home. Many kids play, unmindful of the rain. I sit there, still as stone, enjoying the downpour. Joyous yelps break into my reverie. A golden-brown pup is running around madly, chasing after his tail. I crouch down next to him slowly, not wanting to scare him. 'Hi', I offer. He looks up from his tail, probably wondering if I was worth the bother. 'Who do you belong to?', I ask, noticing that there is no collar proclaiming his owner. He licks my face. I laugh out aloud. He jumps into my arms.

What is that? A neighbour calls out, as I walk back home.

My new friend, I answer.

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Were you expecting something else??? :-P

2 comments:

sm_is_bakc said...

and the moral of the story is :P ???

Rush said...

@sumit,
no moral to this story ;) gotta wait for d rains to beat d heat!

@babumoshai,
thanks :) hope we have more of these parks cropping up!!