Monday
Monday
You know, I wasn't always like this.
Back in school, I was the kind of student who showed up before time. Assignments? Submitted early. Attendance? Almost perfect.
Being punctual was practically my personality.
Then college happened.
Somewhere between endless lectures, bunked classes, and the realization that deadlines are more of a suggestion than a rule, I became...
lazy.
Not completely lazy, just enough to make *"five more minutes"* a dangerous phrase.
And now, here I am.
Twenty-four years old, running late for one of the most important meetings of my career.
A meeting that could get me promoted.
A meeting that could get me a raise.
A meeting that could finally convince my boss that I know what I'm doing.
Wait.
I know what you're thinking.
Who am I?
And why am I telling you all this when I'm clearly about to miss my metro?
Fair question.
But introductions can wait.
Right now, I need to catch the 8:07 metro.
Technically, missing it wouldn't be a disaster. The next one arrives in exactly two minutes.
One hundred and twenty seconds.
Funny how such a small amount of time can ruin months of hard work.
So there I was, running towards the station like my life depended on it.
By the time I reached the stairs, my lungs had already filed a formal complaint.
Thirty steps.
Just thirty.
And somehow I was breathing like I'd climbed a mountain.
The platform was packed.
People were pushing, squeezing through impossible gaps, somehow knowing exactly where the metro doors would stop.
Seriously.
Do they train for this?
I was still trying to figure out how to board the train without getting trampled when something caught my eye.
I caught a glimpse of a girl stepping into the ladies' coach.
She got in effortlessly.
Of course she did.
The crowd near her coach was half of what I was fighting through.
For a brief second, I saw her face and a yellow scrunchie tied in her hair before the doors slid shut.
Then she disappeared behind a wall of glass and strangers.
I don't know why I noticed her.
Maybe because she looked calm in the middle of all that chaos.
Or maybe because my brain had finally found something more interesting than the meeting I was about to attend.
Anyway...
If I miss this meeting, I'll need a really good excuse.
Maybe—
*"Sorry, sir. Someone jumped in front of the metro."*
No, that's too dark.
*"Sorry, sir. There was a traffic accident."*
Better.
Delhi has enough traffic accidents for that to sound believable.
Not that I'm planning to use it.
Hopefully.
The metro arrived.
I somehow managed to get in.
And for the first time that morning, I felt prepared.
Prepared for the meeting.
Prepared for my promotion.
Prepared for the future.
Which is funny.
Because life was about to prove how little I knew.
The moment I entered the office, one of my coworkers walked up to me.
"The boss wants to see you first."
I closed my eyes.
Ah shit.
Here we go again.
The meeting went better than I had expected.
After what felt like an endless discussion, my boss leaned back in his chair and finally nodded.
"We can move forward with your plan," he said. "Just make sure nothing gets messed up before the next meeting."
I knew exactly what that meant.
I still had one shot left.
This time, I'm going to get it.
The rest of the day disappeared beneath emails, spreadsheets, deadlines, and coffee that tasted more like regret than caffeine.
By the time I left the office, my brain had already clocked out.
So, instead of cooking, I stopped at the small restaurant I always went to.
Calling it a restaurant would be unfair.
It felt more like someone's dining room that accidentally became a business.
The food tasted like home.
The owner—a sweet middle-aged woman—had this habit of treating every regular customer like family.
"You're late today," she said while placing my plate on the table.
"Long day."
"When isn't it?"
She wasn't wrong.
After dinner, I finally reached my apartment.
The second my back touched the bed...
I was gone.
Sleep wins every argument.
