I hate it when this happens--that's what its like sometimes over here. I had maybe typed two whole paras, and was well on my way to completing the third when the fuse went. I think I was writing about my dad and me as usual, and our latest tiff. Yeah, that's it. The bane of most of our existence. I can't remeber the exact details of what had happened that day--this was from two or three days ago--but here's the gist of what'd transpired... my dad had asked me to do something, and was busy contradicting what I had to say on the subject, whereas me being the loyal, obedient son (who wouldn't have argued with him in the first place, so there goes that theory out the door) was on total opposites of what he had to say, and so there we were, at an impasse, as usual.I tried to recollect what it was that he had told me just a minute or two ago, but, as usually happens in these sorts of circustances--I was unable to, so had to concede my point. I stood there for awhile like a fool, just looking at him, wondering if anything would register, but nothing did, and dad was pretty adamant that he was right to begin with, so there wasn't anything much I could do.
It was on my way to the bathroom that it suddenly struck me what I was trying to recall, so I brushed my teeth as quickly as possible, and just as I was going to his room--I thought, no, this is crazy--to start this whole thing back up again just to win an argument. What an ass am I. I did want him to know that he was wrong and I was right of course, but I thought it would be better if I waited till the next time something like this happened, and not forget what I was thinking about.
So the next day (this time the current's gone again; it had rained quite incessantly the following two days, so that means you can expect the power department to go for a toss when anything like that happens, which it did) I would've waited for the people at the electricity department to fix it, and would've been oh-so-polite if I had called up, but not this time...
This time, I picked up my cell--asked dad since when had the power been gone, and then dialed their number. Usually, what I'm afraid of is either coming off sounding like a pussy cat, or a deranged idiot. But there was another way. A way that I had thought of before but wasn't sure I could pull of--so never tried. And so, that day, when the guy answered the phone--I asked him if this was the apcdcl office, in a stern voice, like I meant business. And he said "yes, sir (first time anyone'd been answering me with a sir over there, okay--good--I was through the door)", and then I told him I was without any power for the past 2 hours, what was he going to do about it. He asked me where I was calling from, so I gave him the name of my colony, and told him that noone had their fuse here either, and it was almost dark now. So he said he'd get right on it, and I said, yeah--do that--and make it quick. And it had been maybe not even one minute and the power was back on. Now that's service for you.
Me and dad broke our fast, as usual, with him going to the mosque as he usually does to complete his prayers, and me praying at home. I don't know what it was that had gotten me thinking but I had fallen asleep on the couch by the time he'd come back and locked all the doors. I was downstairs so had no idea that he had gone up, so very frantically called out "dad, Dad" and he answered from his bed, so I tried to act as if everything was alright. But you know what--it wasn't, because I love my dad. I just hate the fact that I can't ever tell it to him. And lord forbid he ever comit such a sin...
