The So-Called Privileged Leave

A few months back, I decided and took two days off from work. For the first time in my career, I wasn’t taking off to go out of town. Yup no trip nor off to my hometown. I wanted to stay in, at home and binge watch and eat.

And before I do that, I actually had five things to do.

1.      Link my contact number to my AADHAR card. Though I have the card, I am yet to link my number and with India digitalizing, irony you have to go physically to the Aadhar centers and link the same

2.      Close a bank account – One with a Nationalized bank and also close my DMAT account

3.      Check on a mutual fund scheme, I had invested few years back. I have a feeling the agent enthusiastically gave his sales pitch on my money quadrupling in no time

4.      Give clothes for dry cleaning-One of my blouses had a wine stain, not sure from which occasion

5.      Catch up with my besties and spend quality time

Five things to do and ample time to do it. So I had planned my off such that it follows with the weekend that will help me take rest too. I called my Boss and said “Can I take off on Thursday Friday?”

“Sure, travelling anywhere?” She asked as she loves travelling

“Nope. Moumita. Not at all. I have a lot of pending work that I need to complete.”

By the end of the week, I have completed two K-Drama and Rohit Shetty movies. I had come to the conclusion that movies that do not make sense will always be made and people like me just to while away time will watch it.

The locality watchman stopped by to collect his dues. There were so many time the doorbell rang by people for donation, sponsorship, water purifier trial – at all odd hours, whenever I thought will take a nap.

My neighbor was concerned if I was alright, or rather the concern was if I had to be under isolation. Yup this was the Pandemic time and Corona still being a dreaded disease I guess people wanted to be safe than be sorry. 

I assured my neighbor am ok and just wanted to finish some errands. Friends WhatsApp ’ed me to check if I wanted to join for lunch. I decided to catch up with a friend whom I haven’t met for years. She was all into no-carbs diet and Instagram was fully of her workout videos. Honestly, I couldn’t recognize her cos thanks to her no carb diet she was a shadow of her former self. She only drinks water, occasional vodka and digs into chunks of paneer or chicken. “You have lost a lot of weight. All, ok? You really look sick.”

“Come on, you can also do it instead of being jealous” She tossed back her hair as she said that. “Yes good idea will start soon” and honestly left it there. When I came back home late afternoon to view my to-do list

1.      Link contact number to AADHAR card. Status: Not done

2.      Close a bank account. Status: Not done

3.      Check on a mutual fund scheme. Status: Not done

4.      Give clothes for dry cleaning. Status: Not done

5.      Catch up with my besties. Status: Not done

Well, I hadn’t even updated my resume for updating on job portals. The next day was Sunday I rested since it was going to be a long week