The Hidden Cost

Friends, this is a short story with a twist at the end. Thank you.

As Mona hurried past the reception area of her office, she glanced at the wall clock. Her wristwatch had been sent for routine servicing. It showed 6:00 pm. In another ten minutes, her chartered bus was due to arrive at the entrance gate. It would carry Mona away from the hassles of her demanding job into the safe refuge of her 'home, sweet home.'

To add to her troubles, she had forgotten to put her mobile phone into her handbag while rushing out of the house that morning. She had a premonition that the day would not go well for her. Without her mobile, she had been unable to talk to her husband even once that day, and the deep frown on her face was a clear clue to her mood.

Suddenly, a colleague and co-passenger on her bus rushed up to her, showing a message from the bus admin: “We are sorry. Our bus is stuck on another job. The owner is making alternative arrangements. A one-hour delay will occur. Please wait at your pickup spot accordingly. Inconvenience is again regretted.”

“Hmm,” Mona thought, “that means my bus will come at 7:10 pm." She was not too displeased, as it would give her time to do some shopping for Deepawali, the festival of lights. It was only fifteen days away, and she loved shopping! She especially loved bargaining during her shopping expeditions and knew all the tricks and tips of this pleasurable act.

And by a stroke of luck, the renowned shopping hub of Central Market was located just a short walking distance from her office. It seemed that Lady Luck had purposely presented Mona with a golden opportunity today. Her only concern was that she would have to be careful, as she often lost track of time while shopping.

With a firm determination not to linger in any shop longer than necessary, Mona spent a happy hour hunting for the right set of china for her grand family dinner on Deepawali night. Then, her eye caught a beautiful collection of costume jewellery on display in a nearby shop. Aha! The shop looked to be one of those traditional ones where one can bargain for the best price.

Mona felt she had struck gold, as jewellery was the one thing she could never resist. She dithered over which pearl earrings to buy—by the time she made her purchase after much haggling over the price, it was getting late. She quickened her pace toward the exit. The chartered bus was due in 15 minutes, according to the 6:55 pm on the store’s clock. In keeping with the store’s time-tested looks, this clock, too, was one of those big, antique types, hardly seen anymore.

By the time Mona reached the pickup spot, ten minutes away from the last shop, she was slightly out of breath. Walking at a fast pace while loaded with shopping bags had taken its toll. She stood waiting for quite some time, but there was no sign of the bus. “Where have I gone wrong?” she wondered. The bright lights all around and the cool air of October were a stark contrast to her panic rising every minute because she knew pretty well that getting a taxi in evening rush hour would not be an easy proposition.

Now visibly furious, Mona retraced her steps to check the jewellery store’s clock. It showed 7:25 pm. Mona argued with herself, “I was at my pick-up spot well in time! Then how could I have missed my bus?”

A security guard seated near the gate saw Mona glancing at the clock repeatedly with an annoyed expression. When she had first entered the shop, the guard was not there. He had gone for his evening tea break.

He now spoke up in a kindly voice, “Madam, that clock shows the wrong time. We have had it serviced many times in the past, but it still slows down by ten minutes. Yet our Seth ji (Seth ji means Store owner in Hindi) has a soft corner for it because the clock dates from the time this shop was opened. Hence, it has not been replaced by digital clocks so far.”

Mona was dumbstruck. She realised, “Oh my goodness! I timed myself by the wrong clock today.”

Who knew that the pleasure of bargaining would carry such hidden costs as well?