A DIFFERENT BEAT

    I stared into the distant fields of patchy green and dusty brown. The weather was hot and I was sweating. I pulled out my handkerchief from my pocket and wiped my face. It was stinking as I had not washed it for the last three days. I stuffed it back into the pocket and rested my head on the bars of the window. The hot sun spat on my face and I moved back in reflex. Warm air blew in and made me more uncomfortable. I looked around and counted seven others in the transport bus. It was half an hour past eleven and I was heading home after a week of competitive exams.     The driver stopped the bus at the next bus stop where an old woman and her grandchild boarded the bus. The child eagerly jumped into the side seat in front of me. His grandmother swaying with the bus’s movement held on to the rods as she struggled to sit along with her grandchild. I closed my eyes for some time and slept in between. When I woke up, the bus had occupants in all the seats. Some were sitting alon