The BEST bus came to a stop. He climbed the steps looking at the rivets that seem to hold the rickety red colour bus together. He did not feel like going to work. He was forcing himself to do it. With measured steps he climbed in.
As he showed his pass to the bus conductor who checked it on his device to verify that the pass was valid he moved on to an empty seat. He sat next to an elderly gentleman who wore a half shirt and trousers. Sitting down he wondered about the day ahead. He remembered the work that was due today and the large pending folder. He wasn’t stressed about it like he used to be since he now worked in a public sector bank. However, his experience in the private sector always made him uncomfortable about keeping work pending. It seemed like he was adjusting to the new work culture rather slowly.
He was brought back to the present when the bus hit a pothole. Half the passengers in the back seats were tossed up. A few cursed in various languages. He just smiled.
Slowly, the bus got more crowded and the crowd started pushing into him. The elderly gentleman wanted to get off at the next stop. He stood up and began moving through the crowd towards the exit. Some people grumbled as they made way for him. The bus was licensed to have only 20 standees. It said so in English, Hindi and Marathi along the gangway of the bus but it always carried more than that number at peak hours.
A little while later, it started to rain. The glass shutters were pulled down to stop the rain from getting in. He was sitting next to the window.
Parallel Spirals 