She closed her eyes and lay still waiting for the worst to happen. She remembered the times she shared with Ramon, the way she could accompany him at wee hours to the laboratory-his strong arm around her waist. Then her Ramon could be engrossed into his experiments that he forgot about her presence. This made him more adorable to her. Why could the mobile phone misbehave at such a crucial time when she was just about to make her confession? Uma could not regret in her deathbed if she just had a chance to tell Ramon about her feelings for him.
She let go of the dead worthless phone. It is at this time she became wary of the pain surging through her arm. She tried to move her legs but they felt numb-buried in the rubble. She cursed as if this could help in vain. Poor Uma glanced across the room in the hope of catching the site of the gigantic African American only to be reminded that it was pitch dark in the basement room. The dust now felt wet, an implication that her illusion about the flooding was real. So it was flooding!
She could murmurs and laments. This reminded her that she was not alone. May that man who brushed past her from Mangalam’s office was the only lucky soul! She let her mind wander. The man with a hideous beard, the anti-social woman with a sari, the gigantic man with ear studs and for heaven’s sake Mr. Mangalam. So all these people represented by the piles of paper were trapped in this building! She discovered that she was breathing with difficulty. The fact that she had moved a little in search for a favorable point to make a call to her beloved Ramon subjected her to be trapped quite a distance away from her fellow needy occupants.
It seemed like Mr Mangalam’s office was quite safer. She heard him shout at the top of his voice, “Please hurry! Many people are trapped inside here. We are approximately 500 people. Come to our rescue for heaven’s sake. This is bound to be a very big loss!”
Uma wondered how Mr Mangalam was able to make that emergency call. This didn’t disturb her mind that much but she saw light at the end of the tunnel. This gave her hopes that she could actually be saved. She however wondered how long it would take her to process another visa. Again she felt stupid about this thought. How could she think of processing another visa when she wasn’t sure whether she could be saved from this bondage? Her limps were now numb. It only her right hand that was helpful. Luckily, she felt something hard and cold. With her right hand, she grasped it and pulled herself. She managed to pull herself from the rabble and she could breathe with ease. The air was fresher here.
In her own world, she sat like this for an appreciable amount of time. She then realized a pencil light torch illuminate the room. It was then followed by a huge beam of light. She murmured thanks to God on the site of the life savers. Being near the exit, she was lifted into the awaiting ambulance. God answered her prayers. She stood a chance of meeting Ramon again. She visit the magnificent Indian massage parlous. She let out an unsure smile when she saw a tall frame dressed in white leaning over her. It felt good.
Works Cited
http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/books/one_amazing_thing
