Thursday Nights

Her heart was pounding loudly. She was shaking with anger as she tried to rush through the files. She hated it when things came up at the last minute. Her boss always assumed she would take up work way past office hours.

Today she had no time to spare though; she had to be home on time. She had tried telling him, she had some important appointments but he had just smiled as he put those files on her desk. One of these days she was going to give him a piece of her mind, she thought to herself.
She brushed aside these thoughts and tried to focus. She could still make it on time if she got it right in one go. She had to; she could not afford to be late today. Everyone was going to be there tonight and she did not want to miss on any of the fun. She waited the whole week for Thursday evenings and today was extra special.

It was nine o’ clock by the time she was able to get out of her office. It had just begun to rain. Oh, just my luck she thought. It was best to catch a taxi she convinced herself. Pay day was just around the corner and she could afford these small luxuries every once in a while. After all, she worked so hard.

She kept fidgeting with her watch as she sat in the taxi, urging the driver to speed up. She was exasperated to see amount of traffic on the road. It seemed the whole city was out on the streets, conspiring against her. She closed her eyes and tried to think of the evening ahead instead.

Family gatherings were so much fun. It was the only thing she looked forward to in her life. The friendly banter, the knowing smiles, the loving concern…
Kitty was supposed to return from Washington today. There was sure to be a lot of drama. She could imagine the scenes. How mother would well up and how she would probe. How Kitty would get annoyed, tempers would flare and Sarah would try to calm everyone down. All the high drama would end in a lot of crying and hugging. Oh, how she loved family dinners.

She was jolted from her reverie, as the cab came to an abrupt halt. Here you are madamji said the driver. Too much traffic Madam he started. She threw in the extra twenty as she ran up the stairs. She could hear her clock chime ten through the front door, as she fumbled with the keys…

She cried a sigh of relief as the opening music played on. She was just in time for the show…