"Unlocked Yet Locked"

 Sitting by the window, she was pondering " When will this end!"

All she could do was to let her sentiments blend.

She waited and waited, and finally the day arrived.

Still perplexed, how all these days she survived.

D-Day

She was happy,she was anxious. With all those mixed emotions, she stepped at the airport. 

Well, well .... she was welcomed by a queue so long that it touched the end of the Terminal.

None could be identified, with the masks wrapped around. It was a hot, sunny day with the radiant scorching heat of the sun drinking in everyone's body. Some stood their following the protocol of social distancing and some thought that it was just another day. 

She walked towards the end of the line and found a "Sadhu"(Saint) behind her. He was not following the protocols and was rather preaching her to be brisk. After noticing for one to two minutes, she got him a taste of his own medicine. Now, they were at peace :)

The bags were being sanitized and the "green symbol" on the "Arogya Setu" app was giving a green signal to the travelers too :P

Not to forget, thermal screening was imperative too :D

The ambiance was entirely different than the usual. 

The people seemed to be more panicky.The fear of catching the virus was mandating people to maintain at least one meter distance but still it was onerous for the employees there to handle and guide each individual. 

As she waited at the departure gate, 

A 4 year child seated in front had no idea what was going on, but meekly handled that piece of cloth covered around his mouth.

The "chacha "in that off-white Kurta on the other hand handed over his phone to the stranger passing by as he couldn't resist his urge to get a photo shoot done.

Irony !

The announcement for the boarding started....

Seat no -25 and 26

Seat no-23 and 24........

......Seat no-19 and 20

Her seat was 19B which gave her heebie-jeebies.

Safety Kits containing a sanitizer, a mask and a face shield was distributed to all .

Under that face sheild, it felt like a cage

Which didn't spare anyone, even if you were a sage

The air hostess didn't greet the usual way

"Maintain one meter distance please" was all she had to say.

The girl made her way through the aisle sneak peeking through the face shield. Eventually she could reach the seat 19B. She acclimatized and made herself comfortable in the seat.

The girl sitting besides her sanitized the armrest.

The uncle behind her was still not sure where to put his bag.

The crew informed that no food will be served.

They were wrapped in those PPE's with a sense of fear engulfing them. Still they were as calm as the deep blue sky.

Without any further ado, they started giving the usual instructions. She could see the passengers not giving a heed to what they were saying.

Everyone was adjusting their face shields and masks time and again.

The plane took off and people settled a bit. This was the first time she saw minimal people pay a visit to the restroom :P

It was bizarre that no one was using their phones, all they did was " Sleep " and "Sleep". 

Sanitizing hands every 10 min and being proactive all the way long, finally an announcement was heard:

"Please fasten your seat belts, we are going to land in sometime".

"The temperature in Chandigarh is 35 degrees"

A sense of relief was visible on everyone's face, of course behind the mask :P

People started adjusting themselves as they were almost about to reach their destination.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as the flight landed safely.

The 2 hrs journey was a terrific one, with travelers sleeping all around. 

It was a bizarre aura of people behaving differently, as everyone was bound.

She waited, as one by one they called the seat numbers and asked the passengers to leave.

We can't blame the staff, but it were the people who still couldn't be at distance as they were in a hurry.

They had to collect their bags from Belt no. 4.

Slowly and steadily , she could cross all the hurdles.

She took her bag after a long wait and moved towards the arrival gate.

Thermal screening done again. "You are good to go they said , Go meet your family :)"

This was not all ! The state police was waiting outside to jot their addresses. 

A few exchange of words, address noted and the last obstacle also crossed successfully.

She was a free bird now :D

She saw her father and brother at a distance.

The Happiness couldn't be contained but social distancing had to be maintained :D

That she was "Me" who was yearning to see her loved ones.

A bird that was set free, a bird that was unlocked yet locked because now she had to stay quarantined for 14 days :P

A pandemic hit us so hard, that our lifestyle got entirely revamped. 

We are unlocked from our houses yet locked by the restrictions, the fear, the anxiety of loosing our lives.

Let's try to stay strong and overcome this pandemic, till our lives get back to normal again :D

Thanks for reading.

Reeti Mittal