Friday, November 6, 2009

Travel Mate

I am this unlucky chap u know.
Everytime before boarding a train, I really pray that some gorgeous beauty would be my companion for the journey and I just go on imagining all those situations happening between us.
But as luck would have it ,I always get these middle aged aunties and uncles as co travelers, with their non ending array of these pointless questions about the company I work ,IT industry ,Job security ,pay check and all the boring things u don’t really want to answer. It’s a real pain, you know, the inquisitive, sad and compassionate look on their faces when I tell them about the insecurity in the industry or about the late working hours and all.. I mean Y should they feel miserable if I work for 12 hours a day!!!!!!!aagh what a world …..
Anyways that’s not the point here.
So as usual, it was with low hopes that I boarded the Shadabdti express that evening .I had the aisle seat, which is the worst seat you can get. That bloody seat just ensures that u will be hit by all the vendors, all the people testing their strength on handrail and those people on their way to rest room. I was this hapless hopeless man by the time I took my seat especially after noting that yet another 50 something uncle is my travel companion.

I took out a Malayalam novel and decided to plunge directly into it without even an trace of cordiality so that the uncle would not even dare to ask “Where are you going?” .
I was in this half reading half sleeping mode ,when I heard a sweet voice gently pointing to my neighbor that he is in the wrong seat . The man was relieved to hear that I suppose, coz he seemed quite pleased to cease being my neighbor.

I was exalted when she thanked me for helping her put the luggage in the rack, I was beaming with joy when she asked me where I was going and I was confused when she took the window seat and not the middle seat in which UNCLE was sitting. Questions start running amuck in my mind.
Why did she ask the UNCLE to move, if she was not going to sit in that seat?
Is she expecting anyone else?
Did she move to the window seat because there is no one in it now?
A hoarse voice interrupted my actively working grey cells which were trying to decode the window seat dilemma.

“Excuse me ,u r sitting in my seat .” ..

Who said there is no GOD in this world ??? There is , and he was standing in front of me with a laptop bag on his hand , a stiffened collar and a train ticket in his hands which so clearly states that window seat is for him and him only and no one else ..

God claimed his window seat and I threw away my Malayalam novel …

It was time for serious thinking on how should I kick off a conversation with the sweet young thing ???
Where r u going???? ………Nooo ,that’s so plain and old stuff..
U studying?? ……..Naa ,she mite think I am flirting
Nice evening na??? …..yucks that sucks.
Hey I am so and so …… na too early to reveal my name ..


I was so immensed in formulating a game plan for the rest of my journey that I didn’t notice at all the guy who came near to me and I was so furious that he was intent on disturbing my concentration..
Okay sir ,wat is it that u want ????? wont u lemme enjoy the moment I had envisioned for so long ??i\I gulped down those questions and with a questioning smiling face enquired “Yes??”

Do u mind moving to that seat?” and pointing towards the sweet young thing said “We are office mates and are travelling together.If its okay for u ,could you please ???? ”

Btw who said there is a benevolent GOD .If it all there is one hes a big time sadist for sure .
It was indeed time to go back to my only real travel companion ,THE NOVEL…..