My memory of Early 90's..

The balcony of our Residence

This was early 90's. Mobile phones had not reached India. At-least they had not become a household necessity. Landlines were gradually scaling up the ladder of importance, trying to find a place in every home.

We were not used to Dad coming home late. If it was beyond the usual time, Mom, myself & my sis would restlessly wait at our balcony, for Dad's return.
Questions like -  Has he left from his workplace? Is he held up with some work midway? will find answers only when he comes home.

Since mobiles had not made inroads- Mom used "distractions" to keep our anxiety at bay. She made us bet on numbers and associate it to Dad's arrival.

• Mom -"By my count of 10 - Dad would be here"
• Me - "He will be here by the count of 30"
• Sis - "My bet 40"

And then we start counting at a normal unhurried pace. The idea was not, about winning the bet. Infact, each one of us wanted, Dad to be back, even before "the least count" on the bet is reached.
This exercise would keep us busy without getting restless. Mom was smart. She would start this exercise, only when the time was bit beyond usual. We all knew, he will be home any moment, but didn't know exactly when.

As far as I recall - we would spot Dad, somewhere in the middle of the count. Excitement, relief, a silent thanks to God - and rush to open the door.None of us really bothered who won the bet.

This post is a part of Ultimate Blogging Challenge - July 2014 - Day 7
My Theme for this week-  Technology.