Divine help

The morning paper no doubt carried the usual forecast of the meteorological department about the likely light to heavy showers in the evening. Yet when Vasantha left her house to do some urgent shopping, the sky was very clear with no indication of any rain. As she finished her purchases and came out of the large super market, it was raining heavily. Most of the customers were waiting in the portico for the rain to subside. The wind was chilly and strong. But it did subside after an hour when the roads by then were flooded with water. She luckily saw a bus to her destination crawling opposite to the supermarket in the inevitable jam. She ran towards it and got into the crowded bus. She breathed a sigh of relief that she would be back in her home within thirty minutes. The bus started moving slowly and the rains also commenced again with greater fury. The road was filled knee deep with water. She could see many cars stranded after they broke down. It looked hours as the bus inched its way towards the destination. She regretted her decision to go out despite the warning of a possible rain as she also wondered who ever attached importance to the weather predictions of the department.
The bus stopped at a stop that was about half a mile away from her house. It was raining cats and dogs. The conductor urged her to get down quickly. There were no trees nearby except a transformer. The bus stop was just adjacent to the transformer. It was getting dark. The road was dimly lit. She was afraid to wade through the knee deep water with a heavy parcel in her hand. She was apprehensive of open man holes that she had seen earlier.. There was not a soul in sight. No auto rickshaws could be seen. It was those days when mobile phones were not in use. She got really nervous though a brave lady by nature. When things looked so formidable with no ray of hope, people turn to god. She too prayed intensely to her ishta devatha Lord Guruvayurappan, the presiding deity of Guruvayur to help her reach home. Tears were trickling from her eyes as she continued the prayer amidst the unrelenting rain. Her clothes were drenched and legs started aching.
It was then a rickshaw puller appeared before her as if from no where and shouted at her “Have you gone mad, Amma, standing under a transformer in this heavy rain? Are you not educated enough? Get in quickly. I will drop you.”
She asked him” My house is in 2nd cross street three streets away. How much do you want?”
He laughed saying “What a foolish woman you are asking me such a question in such a situation? You give whatever you feel like. This is not the time to bargain. Get in fast”
He dropped her soon at her house and pocketed the money she gave him without even looking at it to know how much she had given. Vasantha sincerely believed that it was Lord Guruvayurappan Himself who had answered her prayers for no rickshaw puller in sane mind would be dragging the vehicle in such a downpour in that desolate road..
The air was cold and it was still raining heavily as Vasantha stood watching at her saviour fading away from her eyes at a distance in the dark road.