A Boston Morning

 

It was a sunny morning in Boston. I made some Kapi and stood on Niyo’s balcony.  Sun filtered through the trees. From Niyo’s apartment I could see the road going either way. The house opposite was an old age home. Every morning at 8, a van arrived to pick up the oldies for a drive. Maybe for half a day. I sipped my kapi. Soon they would get into the van all smiling and eager. I decided to go for a walk. The phone and the map switched on full alert mode knowing my sense of direction. I flipped a coin to decide which way to go first. The left side won. It was a bit windy but pleasant. A few walks down the road and I saw a sloping service road. A bit of a  climb but I needed that after the previous night’s drinking. Few carpenters were mending a house. The slope ended and met the main road again. On the main road I could see the Shivalik store just opening. Early. The owner was Sam from Nepal. I had chatted with him the previous day for one hour. About what? I had no idea. All I had done was buy some potatoes and swap stories from our homes. The main road met the highway where the office-hour traffic would soon start. There was a bench at the intersection. I wiped the dew off and sat.  One side was overlooking the garden which had a small fort kind of thing, the other side the city life. And of course one wine shop- universal temptation - closed yet close. The quiet, the pace or the folly- the choice was yours. I turned back and started walking towards Niyo’s apartment. Even from far I could see the big van approaching the old age home. There would be shrieks of laughter. The picnic would soon begin. I took the street down away from the main road.  It was quiet. Most of the houses had beautiful balconies or porches. I walked further down admiring those houses.  Didn’t people come out and sit outside? I would, probably the whole day. The street turned a corner and joined another street. Wow! This street was lined with blooming trees. Yellow, orange, red, purple, brown. It was Fall.  I looked around and realised that all the streets were lined with these vibrant trees. Something  I had overlooked because I wasn’t looking or expecting. Some leaves had fallen from those trees making a colourful circle around the tree. - I hope nobody brooms it alway - I thought. 

I took a U turn and took another street. Some more gorgeous trees. I could sit there and stare at them the whole day. All the streets were so quiet- even when a car passed. A few more sloping streets and I came to a playground.  The ground was yellow till I realised those were yellow flowers that had covered the ground. I took two rounds of the ground and reached Shivalaya, the temple. It was probably the only temple in Niyo’s neighbourhood. It was on the second floor of a big building which occupied other offices. It was a temple where one found peace. Time for peace talks not that I had a disagreement with God but just in case He thought I didn’t visit Him often. How religious! I climbed up the stairs. Once inside I took two rounds around the deities, prayed for Niyo and sat. I sat there for a long time. The peace was powerful. When I opened my eyes I saw the Bhatji watching me.  We smiled. He gave Prasad. I thanked and was back walking the streets. 

This routine I would continue whenever I visited Boston.