Summer Afternoons in India

It's a warm Sunday afternoon in April. Most people are indoors, snoozing after a heavy Sunday lunch. Oscar sleeps on , in the cool verandah, swishing at flies, maybe in his dreams, cause I see none. The pigeon nesting in the attic, is cooing softly. It's been about half an hour and she goes on. Almost like a snore- rising and falling. The big Gulmohar tree across the road, is full in bloom, swishing merrily in the warm April breeze. The ground below is beautifully adorned with red & yellow petals. Reminding the passersby of the beautiful yesterday that was. 

The afternoon is so still that even the squirrel on the mango tree is nowhere to be seen. Sunday lunches are always heavy, ending with sweet ripe mangoes. It's understood that one has to save some space for the juicy mangoes. You aren't allowed to refuse! Who says "No" to the king of fruits, after all?

The evening might bring in a thunderstorm. A usual occurrence in Eastern India. When heavy, dark clouds gather quickly, and the boom of thunder awakens all the sleepy heads from their afternoon slumber. The fragrant red soil splattered with the first drops of rain and out comes the squirrel and Oscar goes bounding outside to roll in the wet mud. Sometimes, I fear the nest in the attic might be blown out but it's all okay so far. 

And soon, it will be tea time ...