Tuesday, July 24, 2012

That's Impossible


For our current theme of That's Impossible

Mrs. Sharma leaves for London

By Neha Sonpar

Mrs. Sharma threw her suitcase in the back of her Rav4. Pressing her foot on the accelerator, she entered 23rd Avenue. Soon, she was zooming away towards the Anthony Henday. She was furious. She had to pack her one suitcase in fifty minutes. There was no time available today. She had to drive from Edmonton to Leduc to pick up her husband so he could drive her to the airport and return with the Rav 4.  No parking fees to worry about then. Earlier at 7 am, she had to drive those 27km up and down so her husband could get to work. All this furious activity because no one was available to drop her to the airport straight from Terwillegar. Mrs. Sharma was leaving for London, U.K. for the next eight days, and she could read her husband’s mind clearly. It boldly said: ‘You are a fool to spend $1800 for a ticket, another $1000 for the hotel and another $1000 for sightseeing. He would not understand why she had preponed her daughter’s ticket and called her out to London, away from Mumbai, away from his mother. But, Mrs. Sharma knew exactly why she was spending her lone GIC on a twenty-three old daughter who, for the past 10 days, called her repeatedly, three times consecutively at 12 noon - which was 12 midnight in Mumbai - to tell her mother how bored she was in Mumbai, how she had to register with the Canadian Consulate in Mumbai after the bomb blasts a week ago. Mom, they have closed all public places!  No gatherings allowed. It’s not safe, they say!’ 

Mr. Sharma said, ‘No problem. Just a small thing. She’s fine!’  But would Mrs. Sharma listen to him? Did Draupadi who had five husbands listen to any one of them?

The road seemed unfamiliar. She should have been near Leduc now. She looked at the green and white signboard. Beaumont. She was lost, with a flight to catch in the next sixty minutes. Edmonton to Vancouver. Vancouver to London.




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