Of Rainy days & Raincoats for cover...

I distinctly remember.
All through my school life, I hated taking an off from classes. Attendance was sacrosanct, as was homework (only once I picked the register of my classmate to copy the mathematics home work…that too, coz I never really understood what was happening to the equations or questions or whatever they were) I hated Rainy Days…coz that meant that one had to get ready n wait for the rain to ‘slow’ or stop before one ventured out to school in a raincoat…there was a lingering anticipation of school being closed (Today, the *th of September, 19**, is declared a Rainy Day) but one could never really be too sure! So, parents made calls to the forever busy school landline. Blue diaries were swished out from the bag to check the phone numbers, n religiously kept back lest I forget it if I happen to leave for school (Carrying diaries to the morning assembly was mandatory) Friends called to check if others had any clue of the status quo…parents prompting from the background, “ask her to call u if she comes to know anything..”
And finally, it was too late to go to school anyways…& only the next working day we came to know whether or not the school was open the previous day n missed class work was noted down.
Cut to today- A normal non-rainy, humid day. Alarm clock screeching from somewhere under the quilt even as I rub my eyes in disbelief that its morning already. I run through my memory chip (read brain) to ascertain if today is a holiday, come out of the analysis disappointed and think of what is to be done in office through the day except waiting for the timed customary chai-coffee breaks in paper cups. I think n realize that all the work is to be done either through the cell phone (yes, I don’t have a desk phone) or through mails & no human interface is essential or required. I think if its cool to work from home & of course I can rest assured that I will work hard(ly). So even as the morning cuppa is drowned, I know my plans for the day & here I am…This is my third deliberate off from school & limited work life that I have had (True!) & I have realized now, that if I don’t report to work, my organization won’t shut down…