I couldn't wait to get home last evening. There were these last few pages left in 'Home' (by Manju Kapur) and I had to finish them ASAP. Having decided already on my next read, I settled down to savour the climax of the novel. Just then I heard some sound from within my house! I chose to ignore it completely.... another figment of my imagination, I was sure!

A good read... gets a little detailed and a little boring in between, yet no other author can capture the Indian domestic life as well as her. I put down the novel, my mind still on its many characters and the way their life would have moved forward beyond the last page of the book. That's another problem with me... I'm completely absorbed in what I am reading, even when I am not actually reading it. So when I started Brida, I got a little restless... thanks to my living the character completely!

I turned on the television while I went over to the shelf to pick 'Almost Single' - my next read. I was idly surfing channels when I heard another sound again. I put the TV on mute and tried to listen intently. Of course, it was somewhere from within my house! OK, let me be honest... any such kind of thing freaks me out...completely! I got up from my bed and went to the other room with silent steps. My heart beats were audible when I moved towards the kitchen...and before I could switch on the lights....something fell. I shrieked and jumped and ran back to my bedroom.

After a few seconds of gathering myself, I mustered all the courage to return to the kitchen.... this time, switching on the lights before. And there it was.... a big black rat seated on what it assumed to be its throne (a carton on the top most shelf) looking at me sheepishly. Now this is one guest I hate in my house. They are big and black and filthy and scary enough to give me nightmares! 'But I know how to deal with the species,' I tell myself. Then I go and get the mousetrap, tear a piece from a slice of bread, dip it in ghee and place it carefully in the trap. Smiling victoriously, I look up to where IT sat (vanished then!) and return to my room...my bed and my new book!

The book is good...about singles like me :))) and I don't realize it was 2.30 already! 'You'll have the book with you tomorrow as well,' I console myself while reluctantly putting off the lights! And in what seemed to be another minute, my cell phone rings! 'Pop calling!!!' One of the better things in a cell phone is that you can silence the ringer without having to disconnect! God bless the person who came up with that idea. I do just that and cover my head with a cushion and doze off. And...it rings yet again!!! My Dad.... not a man to be unnerved with as many unanswered calls.

'Hello,' I manage to mutter sleepily.

You are still not up....it's 8 in the morning already!'

'Papa, it's just 7.30 and what is it early morning? I'll call you later!' (Come on Dad...let me sleep!!!)

' Isn't it late? What time do you go to office?' The same concern in his voice which is always there every morning, on every occasion!

'Depends, Papa....I'm sleepy!'

'Depends on what???' OK, he sounds a little angry now.

'Depends on my client calls....you know I deal with clients who are based in the US of A... so I return late too, na...now let me sleep...pleeeaaaase!!!' I am pleading literally.

'OK, there's some work....get up and grab a pen and paper!' My Dad won't budge!!!

'What do you want me to write now? Why don't you SMS it to me? I don't have a pen handy...'

'What do you mean...get a pen and WRITE!'

OK...so that's a command now! I get a notebook and a pen and wait for him to speak.

He begins reading...wait...what is that!! A Bio data!!! Naah...not again...not this early in the morning!!! He can't do this with me at this hour. Matchmaking at this hour....GOD...NO!!!! And he reads...with complete details and declares, 'I'm coming to Delhi next week.'

'What for? You surely are not serious about this, Papa...right?' My mind is racing with all the future possibilities...dad coming here...meeting the guy...then making me do it...then....I don't even want to think beyond it now!

'OK dad...wait...hold on....I need time....and I am not meeting anyone I don't know!'

'You know someone only after meeting them. I'll call you next week.'

'But dad...listen....' my voice is lost in the dial tone...or is it the disconnected tone (I am handicapped when it comes to vocab...you know :) )! So, the call is disconnected with the usual not saying Bye!!! I stare at the screen...eyes wide open now. 'What a start to a Thursday!' I mutter, drag myself out of the bed and go straight to the kitchen.

And there it was...fallen pray to my trap! I smile to myself....victoriously as I watch the little black intruder look on silently from the trap. Ah...some things still happen the way I want and direct them to...so what if it's just the mouse and the trap!

Note - sorry blogdosts. This was written last week, but could not post it. Anyways here it is now. As for Dad...he is NOT coming now :))))).