Downpour

It had just started drizzling when I left for the Bangalore airport. It was the kind of drizzle that turns into rain before you even realize it. And Bangalore rain has this strange personality: the faster it moves, the slower everything else becomes. Within minutes, the road had turned into a quiet line of headlights, everything inching forward in small, reluctant steps.

It always amuses me how nature does exactly what it’s supposed to, yet the entire city pauses as if holding its breath, till things get better. I do that too in the rain, I pause. I breathe. I soften a little.

But that evening, I should have been anxious. I could already feel it slipping. The timing, the chances, the flight I was almost certain I would miss. On any other day, I would have been furious with myself. Why didn’t I leave earlier? Why do I never learn? What was I thinking?

I called my dad, half to inform him, half expecting a hint of disappointment.

“I might miss the flight,” I said.

He didn’t even pause.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Take the next one. If you’re late, I’ll come pick you up. I’m here.”

The rain tapped on the windshield. The cab inched forward by inches, then stopped again. Cars around me looked restless, irritated. I leaned back and watched the rain run down the glass. And somewhere between the red brake lights and the soft tapping of rain, I realized why I felt so strangely at ease.

I wasn’t worried because, in that moment, I didn’t really care whether I ended up in Bangalore or Ahmedabad that night. The destination felt almost irrelevant. What mattered was the journey - this rain-soaked, unplanned pause - and even more, the people who make every journey feel safe.

And that’s what life is about, I realized. Just knowing you have the right people with you is enough, no matter where you end up.

I don’t remember when the traffic cleared or the rain softened. But I do remember the ease that lingered long after.

Luckily, I did make the flight that day. Unfortunately, my luggage didn’t. But that’s a story for some other time!