The Summer of Rain
by A. Gautam
Maya looked at the overcast sky and hesitated before stepping out. She looked back to the bed where her little brother lay sleeping. Mihir had been in bed for the last two days. The fever had gone down, but he still appeared pale as buffalo's milk. His eyes were the color of turmeric powder. Although Mihir was eating and keeping his food down, Maya knew that he needed another dosage of medicine. The city doctor was far away, and Maya vaguely remembered his address. Maya rushed to the bed to feel Mihir's forehead one last time and decided to leave for the city. She had been unable to make up her mind the whole morning. I have to go now if I want to be home by sunset, Maya thought to herself and ordered her mind to be calm. After leaving several notes explaining the whereabouts of the food, juice, and herself all over Mihir's room, Maya wrapped the shawl tightly around her arms. She locked the house from the outside and left.
After walking a few blocks, Maya remembered that she needed her rubber boots and umbrella. Maya said a few inaudible words of anger at her lack of attention, rushed back to the porch where she had left the umbrella and her boots, and resumed her journey with quicker steps. Maya had no idea that she could almost run in those awkward boots when she needed to. The whole time she was walking toward the city, Maya fretted over the important things she might have forgotten to do. Her feet mechanically moved in the direction of her destination. She failed to notice that not even stray dogs were out in this weather. It doesn't even feel like summer, Maya thought, wishing she had worn a jacket instead of her mother's shawl. The sun was nowhere to be seen among the grey clouds, and Maya had already lost the track of time.
"In the monsoon months
It rains to make me wet
How to I console
My one lonely heart?"
Maya started singing so she would not feel alone. Now, she had understood why her mother always sang while doing chores. She would sing while doing dishes, cooking, or cleaning the house. Wow! Ma sings all the time, Maya realized. Because her mother sang so much, her house had felt unusually quiet without her. If I had brought along the radio, I would have at least known when they unblocked the roads! Maya laughed thinking of all the things she planned on carrying for one trip she was taking to the city. "Like I am going on a voyage!" she said out loud and thought about her mother who often spoke to herself—accidentally.
"Take care of each other, we'll be back in two days," Maya remembered her mother's words. Two days have turned into four long ones, Ma! she thought and realized that her feet had carried her to the city. She found herself standing near the auto rickshaw stop and talking to several drivers. Only one driver agreed to take her all the way to Dr. Ram's clinic. Maya asked about the auto rickshaw fare in advance because she had to spare enough money for the medicine. She also asked him if he was certain about the location of the clinic.
"The doctor Ram's clinic? Forty Rupees," the driver said and looked curiously at her. "And, I know about every street in Kathmandu."
Only at that moment did she realize that it was not a good idea for a girl to get in an auto rickshaw alone. "No thanks! But, can you give me directions to go there?" she asked.
"How about you split the fare with another customer going that way? It will take you at least two hours to get there on foot. I will make sure you share the seat with a lady," the driver said.
Maya contemplated about the offer when an elderly woman approached the driver and asked him if he could take her to Thimi.
"Hey, girl, the clinic is on the way to Thimi! I won't even charge you for the fare if the lady agrees. I will try to find a customer coming back this way so I can drop you here when you are done at the clinic. You can split the fare again. I am not this kind every day so hop in before it rains," the driver said, smiling.
"Yeah. I don't mind, but you have to hurry up. It will rain soon," the woman persuaded Maya.
"Will you put on the radio while we go there? I have to hear the news about the landslide," Maya asked the driver and climbed in to the auto rickshaw. "I didn't know people in the city are also nice like us."
"Sure," the driver said as he started the engine and turned on the radio. "I am also from the countryside, though. Why is a young girl like you out alone in this weather anyway?"
"My brother is sick. I have to get him medicine," Maya replied. As she carefully listened to the news on the radio, she smiled. The blockade was over. Now, her parents could be home by tonight. She hoped to be home before they did so she could give Mihir one more dose of the medicine.
Which sentence supports the idea that Maya is out in unfavorable conditions?
A.
"How about you split the fare with another customer going that way?"
B.
Her feet mechanically moved in the direction of her destination.
C.
She failed to notice that not even stray dogs were out in this weather.
D.
She would sing while doing dishes, cooking, or cleaning the house.