Thursday, May 26, 2011

"Honey I'm home"

Chi had come back home after a 6 month long hiatus. He had bagged a lucrative consulting gig on an oil rig off the coast of Nigeria which had kept him cut-off from the rest of the world. To top it off he couldn't even call back home due to company regulations.
Although Frieda was used to seeing him disappear for extended periods, this was the first time he had been out for 6 months. No matter, Chi reasoned. The assignment was a huge success and he could afford to spend a couple of months at home. A lot needed to be done, right from fixing the perpetually jammed bathroom door to getting a new dishwasher. The recession had extracted a huge toll on Chi's family and this assignment was the break he so desperately needed.


Ironically, he had almost missed the flight the day he left for Nigeria. He had overslept and had to rush out while Frieda was still in the shower, something Frieda was sure to harangue him with. Women have an extraordinary memory when it comes to such stuff.

He could hear the shower running and sneaked up to the bedroom to give his wife a surprise.

The room was damp and there was fungus growing on the hardwood floor. Everything else was just the way it was when he left.

She never made it out of the bathroom. The door chose an inopportune time to misbehave.

D