Keep Walking..!!

"Late, late, late!!"

"Aapko Aapka Boss Pittayee Lagayega!", came the prompt response. All He could do was wince in pain at the prospect of it.

He rushed out of his room after having shut-down his laptop, like his tail was on fire. He didn't have the time to drink a glass of water that he thought he'd drink before he left for work. He stood in front of his niece and said, "Am leaving for work, Baby!"

"Yeah, go! Quick! You don't wanna piss your Boss off, do you?"

"No, I don't wish to!" He smiled.

"Hug?"

She squeezed him as hard as she could. He said, "I Love you, Beta. Love you sooooooooooooo much!"

He held his arms open as wide as they'd go.

"Theek Hai. I Love you a little too" She giggled.

She's already grown up, he thought and broke into laughter.

"Now go, go. go!!"

"Bye."

He rushed towards his aquarium, kissed his fishes goodbye and got outside, closing the door behind him. Once outside, he always felt unleashed. He quickened his pace. People always thought he was "going some place", for he always walked briskly. Slowing down his pace cramped his legs, or so he claimed for there had been instances when he'd strolled on the curb with dead slow pace (or so it felt) without cramping them up! In no time he was at the bus-stop. "Namaste, Sir!", he said as he shook hands all around. One of the few things that this job had tought him was being social. He never considered himself a social person. Recluse was the word he'd use often to describe himself. The wait was short, for he'd just about made it in time to catch the bus. Once on the bus, he felt bored. For sitting in the bus was as boring as sitting anywhere else with nothing to do. He slid the glass open to let fresh air gush inside. He usually did that for two particular reasons. The first, was to alleviate himself of all the sweating that might otherwise make his shirt soggy right from the start - not his idea of a good day. The second reason was to check the degree of his hair's cleaniness. The better washed they were, the more they fluttered in the breeze. He adored his hair, especially when they'd been soaked in conditioner for minutes that he wished were hours. Hair was the one thing that could decide his mood for the day. A bad hair-day invariably meant a bad work-day. It hardly took 15 minutes to reach his workplace, for the driver was in a hurry. They were generally in a hurry during that time of the day for that meant a really quick start to nap-time! CISF jawan got in the bus to check for people's identities. He thrust out his I-Card without looking at him, continuing to gaze outside at a particularly strange bird. This bird was just a normal bird, strange for it was nearly 10 in the evening and it apparently was still out. This one won't catch worms, unless it deprives itself of sleep. The bus moved languidly to the 2nd gate where everyone got down. He got down last and walked to the ACS turnstile. He put his card near the sensor which turned a bright red from its usual green. He put his finger on the finger-print reader and after a 2 second delay the sensor turned a bright green. He turned the thing over as he walked through it. As soon as he was on the other side of the turnstile, he waved to his friend, had a quick glance at the flare burning in the distance and quickened his pace as he now headed straight for his Control Room. He saw no one ahead of him. Made him feel better for he wouldn't have to slow down for them and offer a smile. More the people, the more time he'd take to reach his destination. Today was one of those days when he saw no one in front of him. He felt today was gonna be a good work-day.

He kept walking.