The Wetting & Waiting

By Mandira Palit

It was raining heavily as I stepped out of my office. I desperately called out for a rickshaw, and finally, a middle-aged rickshaw puller, wearing a torn shirt and looking weak and pale, approached me. Since there were no other rickshaws available, I hopped in and impatiently told him, "Chalo" (Let's go).

As the rain poured down relentlessly, very few people were venturing outside their homes. The road appeared deserted, with only a few rickshaws, bicycles, and vehicles passing by. The heavy shower made it difficult to see things clearly at a distance. The rickshaw puller, completely drenched, started shivering and coughing. Even the lower part of my body got soaked. Irritated, I asked the puller, "Don't you have a raincoat or polythene to cover the rickshaw?" He replied in the negative. Frustrated, I exclaimed, "You people should have at least a cover (polythene) during this season!"

The puller remained silent.

"Oh, this is so inconvenient, getting wet like this," I grumbled once more.

This time, the puller spoke up. He said, "Sir, once you reach home, you can change your clothes, and everything will be alright. But I don't have another pair of clothes, and I have to pull the rickshaw until late at night."

I scolded him, saying, "It's your duty, and you people are used to this."

Finally, I arrived home, got out of the rickshaw, and handed the puller two twenty-rupee notes. He requested more as it was still raining. However, I scolded him again and said, "Look, you don't even have a cover. I got completely wet, and now I'm going inside."

As I entered my house, my wife noticed my drenched state and hurriedly went inside to get a towel and a change of clothes for me. She instructed me to change in the washroom. Within minutes, she brought me a cup of tea and some pakoras.

Meanwhile, as I sipped my tea, I walked towards the window and noticed that the rickshaw puller was still there, shivering, drenched, wetting, and waiting for another passenger.

By Mandira Palit