i really dunno how all these weird things happen to me!!!!... but they just do you know....sometimes i feel its like God saying i would like to watch a bit of comedy now... you know.. like how we turn on the tv to watch friends or something... he s probably sitting up there in heaven saying ah... what should i watch today???.... and it happens to me!!!!! ... LOL!!!
one not so fine day i set out to the station to catch the train back to chennai after a short holiday at home... so being the second child i have never had to shoulder any major responsibility... my elder sister always took that on... so here i was traveling alone... not actually for the first time.. but one of the first few times.... and my parents were giving me solid advice...." dont talk to strangers and just listen to music on your i pod".. "dont look left or right or up or down"... "bury your head in your magazine and just get off at chennai"... "keep the alarm so that u wake up on time".. "do you have enough money, water, food etc.".. "study well molae"... "try loosing some weight"... "be good"... etc etc etc... you kno.. all that parent stuff...(sorry to deviate... but i just figured that the word apparent must have come from A PARENT.... since a parent keeps stressing on apparent things... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha).. so there i was when the train chugged off the station my head buried in the magazine and my i pod on full blast quite oblivious to things around me!!!... i barely noticed the train ticket examiner (the TTE) walk up and down a zillion times.... almost two hours into the journey and nearing Trissur station he comes and asks me for the ticket... so i triumphantly give it to him.. feeling very grown up and responsible and with a look that said i dont care a damn about all of you... i do this all the time....
TTE: this tkt is not for todays train
ME: stare at him blankly
TTE: excuse me.. but this tkt is not for todays train!!!! (getting a little cross at my blank expression.)
ME: uh... hmmm.. uh ok
TTE: you have to get off the train now!
ME: uh... ok.. what do i have to do to get back on????... uh.. where are we???
TTE: you have to get a general tkt (unreserved) to get back on and we are almost at Trissur
ME: ok!...
i look very sheepishly at my fellow passengers watching all this tamasha!!! and i get my bag out an walk towards the door, willing myself not to cry in front of everyone... i call my dad (good ol' dad.. always there when you need him).. and tell him the situation... he first tells me to stay calm and not cry and to get off at the trissur station and sit somewhere where there is light and lots of people... what typical fatherly advice... not hearing that makes me want to bawl!!!!!.. but i dont cry on the train... i just look like am on the verge of tears and anyone coming near me would trigger it off... we finally reach trissur... i get off the train and look around...
apparently am on the second platform.. there is not a single source of light in the distance and the only bit of light is coming from a vegetarian stall... i am sill holding back the tears mind you.. and i walk towards the stall.... i ask him how to get to platform # 1.. he looks me top to toe and says " jump onto the rails and walk over there and climb onto platform one"... i look at him as if to say.. what????????????... are you freaking crazy?????.... but i just smile and walk away...
thinking that its probably because he was a guy he said that.. i ask this lady with a bag full of vegetables the way to platform #1.. she looks at me from top to toe(I dunno why everyone there does that.. its creepy!!!!) and tells me to jump down and cross the rails and jump back up onto platform 1... i simply say thanks and head away from the stall... i just break down crying and i kneel down right there and i start to pray!!!!!!... i get up still crying very silently but nevertheless crying and walk in some direction... i reach the overhead footpath an i reach platform 1.. i find a bench just outside the deputy officers cabin and plonk myself there... bury my head in a magazine and sob my heart out.... my parents reach there after what seemed like eternity and i just cant stop sobbing.. i get into the car and we drive home.....
it didnt seem funny at all at the time... now looking back.. it does seem funny... but there s not a ticket that i havent checked the date!!!! and thats all part of life and growing up i guess!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Oooooh I remember that day. I was the one who had to calm the distraught grandparents, you little non-ticket-checker.
And the little one had me in splits with her ' Mom,please tell Dad not to scold a thuth bruth'.
Glad we got you back safely that day:)
Post a Comment