A Bad Day

It was the day of the last exam of class six. I was very busy, tensed, and excited all together. As I sat at the table gobbling my breakfast and staring at the watch time and again, my dear mother was giving all the necessary instructions.

I half-listened to her as she went on saying, 

" Have you taken your umbrella? Please take the key. I will be out so when you come home you need to unlock the door by yourself. I will cook the food and keep it on the table. Please heat them up before you eat."

The school bus came and I rushed quickly still chewing the sandwich. I had a great exam and at the end of it my mind and heart were filled with happiness. From the next day, the annual vacation would start and I was busy planning the paintings I would create, the stories I would read. I had all the time in the world to do what I please. When the bus dropped me home it started raining very heavily. I had my umbrella popping out from my school bag. But I thought I won't need the school uniform from tomorrow, so I would get wet in the rain and enjoy the weather. I drank all the remaining water from my water bottle and started collecting rainwater in it. The cool breeze caressed my cheeks and I stood in the middle of the street and got drenched happily in the rain. I stopped by to look at the bedraggled crows all wet perching on the trees.

When I reached home I found a huge lock hanging at the main door. To my horror, I realized that my mother had tried to remind me to take the key with me in the morning. But in a hurry, I had forgotten to do so.

I sat on the stairs all wet cursing myself. To add to my distress the bulb of the staircase was not working and it was dark and gloomy. I could hear the lizards scurrying by. The thoughts of some big ugly spiders lurking in the dark scared me. I was terrified of spiders. Then came the ultimate trouble "Nature's call".I had to go to the toilet.

Somehow I pressed my knees together and sat there waiting in the dark. It seemed to be like for ages. When my mother came back I was so angry I bursted out, " Why you had to go out for so long", I narrated my struggles.

She silently opened the front chain of my school bag and took out a key. I was speechless. I stammered but I had forgotten to take the key, you had asked me to take it.

My mother said, " I had put it in your bag and told you, didn't you hear me. It's common sense to check your own bag first". 

But alas common sense was so uncommon for me. I remain standing like a statue. Amazed.

The key was in my school bag the whole time.