Delirium

A blazing wave of heat has surged over Colombo.

In the bus, the man in front of me takes off his cap, produces a large checked napkin from his pocket and proceeds to wipe the damp on the back of his neck with slow, deliberate strokes. The third beggar to board the bus in 10 minutes, waves a stump for an arm in my face and has me scrambling for my purse.

The couple in the corner exchange vows of undying love over a packet of manioc chips. He feeds her. She blushes and giggles coyly behind her handkerchief. The kid in front is fast asleep, sprawled across her mother’s lap – face shining with perspiration. Her brother on the other side of the aisle, sits with his shoulders slumped forward, the occasional polyphonic tune pealing from the phone clutched in his hands.

Gray faces and clothes covered in dust all around. I huddle in my seat, suddenly feeling exceedingly conspicuous in my too-loud mustard top.

People with forced smiles on garish posters flash past in a technicolor blur – all of them telling me that I should vote for them. For the betterment of our country, of course.

It’s too damn hot.

 

 

 

13 thoughts on “Delirium

  1. >funny that i should be reading this when i’m up at 2.30 am, unable to sleep because of the heat. lol at your ‘too loud’ top. surely it cant beat the orange from last friday:p

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  2. >Haha in the same boat here, Delilah.Beautiful the way you’ve captured the essence of a day out, gutterflower.And TELL me about it. I am sitting here, with my face INCHES away from a table fan. I swear, I will melt if I move away. -_-

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  3. >Oh my gawd, mustard top? Girl, are you craaazy? Oh no you didn’t! I know you didn’t! Did you?!…What the hell is mustard anyway? Is that even a colour? Mustard?

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  4. >Gehan, arrggh. at this point I want it to snow, dammit. Delilah, trust me, that orange pales in comparison!Makuluwo, thanks. 🙂 Me too. Melting over here.JD, three layers of clothing? Egads!Jerry, dude but I did! 😛 Of course mustard is a colour, you ignorant person. :PNibby, very.

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  5. >You do not want snow – trust me. Unless it stays pretty all the while instead of turning to that horrible black sludgy ice type stuff!Beautifully written though! I could do with a heat wave (and not in any sexual sense either!)!

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