The Bright Side
by Joan Pinto
‘Isn’t
this the spot the Boss said we need to check for
the cable fault?’ the Bombay Electric Supply
worker asked his comrade. The two of them stood
at the crossroads as rickshaws, bikes and cars
raced past with no respect for the traffic lights.
‘I
remember him saying it’s the spot where the
traffic island faces the election banner,’
the second worker replied, pointing to the one
hanging across the road. The huge banner featured
a politician, the one who’d promised to fix
the drainage systems, and rid the roads of
potholes, last election.
‘Yes, he
did. But how do we go about it? There’s so
much traffic,’ Worker One said.
‘Just
begin, ok? We’ve to make sure this electric
cable gets fixed for the politician’s rally
being held down the road tonight.’
‘Damn
politicians. Alright. Alright, Let’s dig.’
Putting up
their Work-In-Progress signs, they dug, pulling
out whole chunks of tar and rock. But no cable.
‘Dig
deeper,’ Worker Two suggested.
Then the pick-axe
hit something. A huge hose of dirty water burst
through, rising in a curving spout and hitting
the politician’s picture right where his big
smiling mouth was.
‘I think
we got the co-ordinates wrong,’ Worker One
said.
‘Yes,’
Worker Two agreed, watching the banner fall
backward slowly with the force of the water.
‘We should head to the next traffic island....
but I have a feeling it’s going to be a dark
rally tonight’.
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