A day in his life

At last, he woke up. Life sucks. Life really sucks. Life really sucks for him. It was already 6.30. The alarm started blaring from 5.30. After 10 snoozes, he finally got up. He has to get up atleast now. He has been wanting to get up at 5.30 so that he can do an hour of exercise before leaving for office. He will for sure getup at 5.30 tomorrow, he promised himself as he got up. A promise he has been making daily for god knows how long.

Getting up is the most difficult part. Other morning rituals follow at lightning speed. In 20 mins, he is all dressed up, had a quick breakfast and is ready to leave for office. He leaves home at 6.50 every day to a catch the train that leaves at 7.00. And as usual he catches the train just as it was leaving. As usual the train was very crowded today as well. What a great way to start the day. And his life has been the same way for the past several years. Infact it has been the same right from the day one of his office going life.

It was a hot day. Sun is already shining bright. The hurry with which he has come running to catch the train made him sweat profusely. What is this life. Why it has to be this way for me. He stared thinking thus. He felt a little breeze as the train started to leave.

He is the manager at a big multinational company. He has had a very good start at the career. Having not so bright in studies, it was a dream come true for him to get this job. His friends had envied him then. He was a role model for them then.

Times have changed. His friends have followed different paths. Most of them have settled abroad.  Ramesh was the last one to join others in US. He left about 4 months back. He had gone to bade him farewell. Last week he saw the photo of Ramesh with his new black BMW on facebook. “Dream fulfilled” read Ramesh’s comment on the photo.

The others – Mani, Suresh, Raja, Ahmed, Vijay, Karthi, Ganesh, Guna... the list goes on. They are his classmates. All of them have moved to US at different points in time. They all have settled there. They have a very good life there. Their families are happy. Their children get to study at schools of international standards. They all have got their dream car. They are all having the time of their life...

Take his cousin for instance. He has been living in Singapore for the past 8 years. Or Ranjith, his other cousin. He went to Australia for studies. But he never came back. He managed to get a job there and is living there happily. Rumor is that he is in a live in relation with a local girl there. Last when they chatted, Ranjith had confirmed this. What’s wrong with it? Ranjith had queried. All he could respond with is “So… when are you getting married”. “Are you nuts… We like it this way man. Have not thought about marriage yet. First will have to check if both of us are compatible. That’s the way it works here man.” was the reply.  Want to check if you both are compatible. Whatever that means…

The train came to a stop. He looked out. He looked around. God!!! What sin have I done. Why life had to been so hard for me. The train had stopped at a signal. With the train fully crowded, heat going up and with no sign of any breeze around, he can only dream of his friends going around in swanky cars in countries where temperatures hardly touches the 2 digit mark and curse himself. It would be another one hour by the time he reaches his final stop. From there, he has to take an auto to reach his office. An ordeal he has to put up with every day.

By the time he entered his office it was already 8.30. He was late by 30 mins and he was fully exhausted. He was looking if he can take some rest. He took a look at his calendar to see the schedules for the day. There was a review meeting with his boos. Its starts at 9.00. Oh god…he thought. His work had begun. And it went on & on & on. Finally when he looked up to leave, it was 6.30 in the evening. He thought of his travel back home. To the station, by the train that is always crowded. It would be 8.30 in the night by the time he reaches home. At home, it would be watching television late into the night and finally when he could not take it any longer, he would go to sleep.

This has been the routine for him for a long time now. And he hates it as much as he could.

That night, he got a call from an unexpected number. It’s a US number, he could guess. It was from a HR of a company in US. The voice at the other end apologized for calling late and its inevitability as the day has just started in US. The call is about a job offer. One of his friends has referred him and the HR has called to check if he would be interested in the position.

He answered firmly that he is not interested in the position and he wanted to stay here and cannot travel to US. And he went to sleep to start another day of the same routine.