I woke up feeling cold. I got up rubbing my eyes and leaned to the wall to switch off the fan. It was dark so I went back to sleep without checking the time. After a few minutes, I felt something was vibrating near my pillow and just a second later, it started to play the music. It turned out to be the alarm on my phone. “It’s 5.30, already?” I said to myself looking at the screen of singing mobile with half opened eyes.

I hit the stop button and said, “Just 10 more minutes, then we’ll wake up.”

“Like you always do?” said the voice sarcastically.

“FINE!”

“Good, now hurry up. Or else you’ll be late.”

I got up, stretched myself and went out of the room. I unlocked the main door and walked outside. On the right hand, there is a porch area where my father’s scooter stands with its helmet always hanging on the handle. I went straight passing the slope of terrace stairs on the left. I stood on the end, a stair below is a narrow path extended towards the left with the bathroom in the corner. The narrow path has a wall of a room on one side and boundary with iron rods standing on the other side. Some plants in the earthen pots are placed on the boundary almost covering the sight of the road in front of the house.

I looked at the plants and then to the sky. The sky was cloudy with grey-white clouds and leaves of plants were covered with tiny drops of water. The exposed area of the narrow path was also wet.

“Beautiful,” I said getting amazed by the outside view.

“You better hurry up. If it starts pouring again, you won’t be able to attend the coaching class again and when you will try to explain the reason to your sir, he would say –‘But the rest of the students were present, weren’t they’?”

I mimicked him and move towards the washroom to get fresh.

After I was done, I heard the raindrops from my room. It had started raining.

 “Yey!” I exclaimed in excitement and but then suddenly realized that it would mean missing my class and I was clearly warned by my sir not to be absent anymore.  

“Told ya,” said the voice in teasing tone. “But it’s only drizzling and it might stop before leaving, so you better take your bath and get ready,” in a more concerned tone now.

 “Right,” I said, still staring outside.

Then I walked to the corner of the hall. There was a small space with basin stick on one side of the wall with a mirror above it. On one side of the mirror, there was a holder holding toothbrushes and toothpaste. I picked up the green one, put some paste and started brushing my teeth wishing for the rain to stop.

When I went to take shower, the rain had stopped pouring.

When I came out, it was still dark outside. I checked my mobile, it was 6.45 am and after a while, I heard it start pouring again. Father and mother were already up by now, and by the sound coming from the kitchen, I guessed mother was cooking breakfast.

I sat down on the bed.

“What am I supposed to do now? I should go or not?”

 “It’s not pouring that hea...” even before the voice could complete the sentence it started raining heavily. “...now it is. You can wait if you want to go.”

“Yes, I’ll wait and sir will all be late anyway,” I said while combing my hair.

It was 7:20 am and rain had slowed down again but within a second, it again took to speed. At 7.30am, I gave up.

“It’s not going to stop, I am going to change and we’ll start reading Harry Potter series again.”

I changed my clothes and walked outside to look. It was drizzling, I stood there and watched. The cold breeze was touching my face and it felt so good.

“Remember, when we were in school, we used to go despite the rain?” said the voice again.

“Yeah.”

“And the day we were going college early morning, despite the thick fog?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve loved that day”

“I can see you’re dying to go outside to feel the cold breeze and raindrops on your face. But I am unable to understand what’s stopping you?”

I stood there and thought for a moment.

“Whatever I love is outside there, on the other side of the gate. Then what the heck am I still doing here?”

Suddenly, I felt the blood rushing in my vein and excitement replacing despair.

“Let’s do it!” I said excitedly.

“My girl!” said the voice in double excitement.

In a few minutes, I stepped outside again fully dressed up, with my bag hanging on my back and wearing my shoes. “But your face is covered with pimples,” cried a muffled voice.

“I don’t care!”

I raised my chin high and walked outside of the gate.

“Atta girl!” said the voice.

Now I can hear the voices of motivation and courage loud and clear, than the voices of shame and excuses. Watching motivational videos regularly for increasing self-esteem is now becoming useful.

“Do one thing every day that scares you” - Eleanor Roosevelt

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