Tidings of Timely Tide

High tides are beautiful, exciting things when they’re part of the view. They’re ugly threats when you see them flooding the road outside your building.

The last three evenings have been a ritual of sorts. With a relieved sigh and cumulative gratitude every successive evening, we thank the clouds for not raining when five metre high tides have hit the shores.

But, this afternoon I came home to see water gushing into the road in a hurry. One searching look at the watchman and he jumped at the chance. In typical television reporter mode, he started: That’s high tide! Almost accusing me of not being there each time, he thought it useful to inform me that the high tide flooding had been happening every afternoon. “But how would you know? Anyway, this is nothing. Yesterday, you should have seen how fast the tide swept in. There was water inside the premises. You’re lucky today. But don't worry. This will recede in an hour.”

He went on in great detail about the exact chronology of events of the past three days. I wanted to run away but didn’t want to be rude to the guy who guards our house the whole day. Besides, he’s the one who tells us there’s going to be no water supply till next morning. Who wants to upset the powers that be?

So, among other things, he got to tell me that people who pay a premium for houses near the sea suffer from a lack of intelligence. I told him he should’ve been a news reporter. That was a mistake. For some reason, he had this pleased as punch look on his face. “I can be a reporter. It’s very easy,” he looked at me expectantly. Then suddenly, “Must be the same story at ‘Amitabh bhaiya’s’ house, don’t you think?” For a moment he got me.

“Amitabh Bachchan? Yes. No. I don’t know. Took the other road,” I sauntered off. Now I know how much I value the crisply dressed, reticent watchmen at my earlier residence and the flood-proof parking too.

Once home, I had exactly the same conversation with my family. They agree with the watchman. No, they don’t agree with my Tughlaqi ideas of moving back to the hills. All’s well with the tide, they say.