This alarms just keeps ringing ...

“Must be 6:30 in the morning. That is the time when my alarm is set to ring. Uhhhhh …. Where is the mobile.”

Without opening the eyes, the hand slides out of the covers and frantically searches for the phone.

It is usually kept in the mobile holder by the side of the bed.

But it is not there today.

The hand moves farther towards the headboard to continue the search.

The eyes are shut tight.

“Only, if I could find the mobile faster. I will get up in 10 minutes.”

The mobile is not on the headboard even. The hand was stretched as far as possible.

The eyes open. And they peep out from under the covers. To my left and to my right.

Ah .. there. 2 Little black lumps.  To my right. Diagonally overhead. (if the sleepy self is right on about the directions.)

The eyes close again. The hand moves in the right direction, like a servant obeying master’s orders.

The practiced hands then locate the correct button that will set the alarm to snooze and press hard enough. 

(The mobile is still in its cover, semiconscious mind tells.)

The alarm is still ringing. The eyes are still shut. Tight.

The hand then moves on to the next button that should read silence.  The button is pressed again.

The alarm continues to ring.

“Ok.. it will be the other mobile.”

The arm is stretched again in that diagonally right overhead direction and the other set is located.

The procedure to stop the alarm is repeated step by step as discussed above.

But  the alarm just keeps ringing.

“Sigh “

The hand brings the set closer to the eyes.

Eyes open. The alarm is not set … not on this one atleast.

“Wait … what does it say … 7:30 … that’s weird. Where is the other phone?”

The alarm is not set on that one either.

And it says 7:40. That’s ok … It has been set 10 minutes ahead.

That’s not ok … is should say 6:40.

“Specs! These figures are mere imagination.”

The hand moves to the bed side table … diagonally left. That’s where my spectacles are.

I quickly wear them and look at the mobile again.

7:41.

Beaming. “Atleast I can still read something without my specs. Great.”

Not beaming. “I am late. Again. Not so great.”

Crawling out of the bed, the still sleepy feet try to fit themselves in the slippers.

The touch of the cold floor sends shivers through the whole body.

I wake up instantly. One last long look at the big brown clock on the wall tells me that I am definitely late.

And, I can still hear my alarm ringing.

I come out of the room and there it is.

The wash timer alert of our Samsung washing machine… that has no button that reads silence.