I was trapped

I was trapped. It was pouring like there was no tomorrow. But I had no choice but to get to Khandala. While trying to avoid the rain, my phone rang. "This is driver JP Tiwari speaking, sir!" Don't worry; I'm almost there..." The car arrived. I entered and dried myself. And my gaze was drawn to something. But I felt it was impolite to start the conversation with it. We chatted for an hour, and then... I inquired. But, his reply led to an uneasy silence! "That is my daughter's picture." She's dead now". I couldn't speak, but Tiwari Ji did. "You know, two months after her death, we received a letter from the government. My daughter had cleared the IAS exam." I froze. "My daughter and I had planned a Shimla trip; we just didn't want to celebrate too soon," Tiwari Ji added. But all I've got now are her memories and a letter." We didn't talk for a while. I began thinking about how we put life on hold for work. Is the wait worthwhile? To continue the conversation, I asked, "What brought you to Mumbai?" "I don't want to repeat the same mistake." My son lives here, and I intend to spend the rest of my life with him." We often believe we have no choice. But for the most part, we do.