Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they arefed; the only animal that is never satisfied. Therefore, staying indoors mightbe a treat when life assumes a hectic order: when you long for a holiday and aweekly Sunday doesn’t suffice. But when staying indoors becomes routine, it isthen that you realise the importance of movement after experiencing themonotony brought about by a sedentary life style. In such times, the otherwisecraved-for afternoon nap becomes a daily treat.
So, in accordance with the ‘new normal’, the other day afterhaving lunch, I went off to my room for a fine afternoon nap. I reclined andshut my eyes. Feeling dizzy, I was just falling into a drowse when I heard somesound. It was the doorbell. Someone was ringing the doorbell! I got startledand sat up at once. Nobody rings the doorbell these days, I thought. My heartstarted pounding. I didn’t want guests, none of us does in times where aheightened social distancing is the dire need of the day. Fretful, I unmountedmy bed and moved out of my room. As I was descending the steps, I began toponder who could it be! And that if I should open the door or simply plug outthe bell which was ringing constantly. I settled myself for the second optionand as soon as I reached out to plug out the bell from the socket, my mothercalled out to me. She said that somebody was at the door from the past fiveminutes and that she was going to check who it was. I told her that we cannotafford to have guests in a home quarantine state but her stern look was enoughfor me to understand that she is not going to let the desperate guests waitoutside for even a minute more. All I could do was convince her to stay alittle back while I opened the gate myself. Upon opening the gate, I found myaunt along with my cousins broadly smiling at us, as if trying to surprise us.For me, it was just but a shock!
My aunt has a peculiar way of embracing. I always found herways of enclasping me adorable. I knew the next thing she was going to do rightaway was this only. I began retracing slowly and unnoticeably when my mothercaught hold of my hand signalling that I should not hurt my aunt’s sentiments,I was trapped. Expecting a semblance of sanity on part of my mother consideringthe tough pandemic times, I looked at her with the same expression in my eyes.My aunt deciphered the kind of fix I was in and gave me a tap on my shoulder.”Don’t you know the virus is gone?” She started with this sentence andcontinued with how the doctors had not only been successful in finding apermanent treatment to the disease but also had created a vaccine as apotential shield to it for future times. She went on with how all the placeshad been fumigated and sanitized and that her family had been vaccinated too.She ended her long story in a gasping manner, crux of the story being “we areall safe now!” .
Mornings after rains are so bright and clear. So were ourhearts now; bereft of constant worry and burden of fear. While my motherinvited my aunt in, my cousins offered me a ride to the newly sanitized citymarked by an air of revelry. I couldn’t believe my eyes as we made our waythrough the roads and streets. A wide range of convivial people sharing theirlove and care with one another once again made me teary. Watching a fathertaking his children for a treat was a treat to my eyes. The noisy flock ofstudents mounting the school bus playfully wrung my heart with an amalgam ofpain and pleasure that had surpassed it. The poor vendor had been blessed witha crowd of buyers once again. Neighbours embracing each other had never broughtsuch pleasure before. I then realised that utopia was this! This, that my eyeswere beholding right then was that ideal world which we all began to crave foronce we were deprived of it. These nuances of life that we often took forgranted were actually the blessings that made it beautiful.
I too wanted to share this utmost joy that was seepingthrough every vein of my physical being with my loved ones. So I urged mycousins to rush back home and we all sat in the car speeding homeward. As wewere only a lane or two away from our destination, we were jerked to a suddenstandstill as my cousin stopped the car. Upon looking from the windscreen, whatI could see was a huge traffic jam and behind us a multitude of automobiles allsounding their loud horns urging us to move forward. The horns and sirens ofthe traffic only grew and grew till it dragged me out of my slumber to therealisation of being in a dream while my cellphone was ringing and vibrating onthe side table. I sat up and recalled the bliss I felt in my dream broughtabout by the sight of normalcy. It was just a dream, I thought, but it could aswell be a vision! It was perhaps, ‘a vision in a dream!’
Asma Majid is masters in English Literature