Was I silly?

Embarrassment at the Traffic signal

The alarm was already snoozed for the third time and now I had started sweating also.

‘May be I should get up…’

After a long struggle, I rose from my bed. I looked at the clock… It was 7:03 AM – Saturday morning.

Quite early for me… for a Saturday morning… But still...

I was out of my bed. I brushed my teeth and sat to sip a cup of mother-made-yummy-coffee. I heard my mom say – “Yezhunthachula. Walking polame…” (Anyway, you are awake. Why don’t you go for a walk?)

As usual I did not feel like going for a walk. I just neglected her statement and finished the coffee. When I came out of my home to water the plants, my cycle looked at me and frowned.

I had got the cycle when I came back to Chennai from Mumbai but had hardly used it. It was all dusty and dull. I felt guilty for having ignored it for so many days. I dusted it and it was back in form within minutes.

I decided to go for a drive at least to show the neighborhood that I had a shining-self-cleaned cycle..!

I left from home and drove towards an undefined destination. I pedaled at my full speed for a few minutes and identified that I had taken my daily office route. I decided to cycle till CMBT and come back – a total distance of close to 10 KMs…

I stood at every signal, waited for it to go green and pedaled at full force to keep up with my road-mates. It was real fun to stand at the beginning of the traffic and to race with the fellow vehicles.

While coming back home, say at the last signal towards home, I saw people continuing to ride even when the signal was Red. I was not ready to continue my ride. I waited.

10 seconds… A tourist bus crossed me.
15 seconds… A D70 bus crossed me.
20 seconds… Few two-wheelers passed me.
25 seconds… An AC bus passed me.

I kept waiting. The signal wasn’t changing. I started to feel embarrassed. I felt as though all the eyes were staring at me.

Cring Cring Cring…

I heard a bell and turned around to see a tri-cycle filled with vegetables.

“En ma nikkara. Poga vendiyathu thaanae.” (Why are you waiting? Why don’t you go ahead?)

I silently pointed at the signal which was still Red.

“Athellaam paathaa aagathu. Po ma…” (Won't work out if you wait. Go on.)

I saw the vendor move ahead muttering “Vevaram illaatha ponnu” (Silly girl…)
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Was I silly??