There are two things that I forget always. One is names and the other is roads! I can forget the names of my classmates pretty quickly and I can get lost even in broad daylight, that too in some familiar area. Teamed together, these two make a disastrous recipe!
I have a habit of coming home for lunch after the morning classes, even if there are classes in the noon. I despise canteen food. Well, if you do like getting various insects in your food, you might like it. But I am a pure vegetarian. So, no; thank you. I would rather make a trip to home and back to college rather than eating that not-so-mouth-watering canteen food!
On that ill fated day, I had come home for lunch. Mom was supposed to attend a marriage function and she wanted to lock the door and take the key with her. I had to leave for college again but there was still an hour left for the bus to arrive. Having no other choice, she told me she would come back before 2:00 pm, which was the time for me to leave. I agreed and closed the door, after waving her bye and reminding her to come back soon.
Being home alone is something I don’t mind. In fact, I love it. I had my lunch while flipping through the TV channels. Sadly, there was nothing interesting to watch. So, I settled on one which was playing some serial my mom loves to watch. But it didn’t hold my interest for long and before I knew, I had dozed off. The delicious meal had played its trick and the boring serial acted as a catalyst, quickening the inevitable. I don’t know how long I had slept off but I woke up hearing the banging noise. I was feeling disoriented and didn’t have a clue where I was. After looking around for some time, I realized that I had slept off in the hall and the banging noise was coming from the main door. The TV was still on and the next serial had started. I looked at the watch. It was 2:07 pm! I quickly realized that mom might have returned from the function. The banging (Yes, she wasn’t knocking the door but banging) got louder each second and I wondered what was wrong with her. Then the thought stuck me – she might have arrived few minutes before and was worried when I didn’t open the door! So, I hurried to the door.
“What took you so long to open the door?” she fired as soon as I let her in. She was totally pissed off! One thing was clear – I couldn’t tell the truth. If I mentioned I had dozed off, she could have shouted even more. Deciding to play it cool, I said “Jeez! Why are you so angry? I was in the washroom. So, it took me a minute to open the door” I was in the process of giving myself a mental hi-fi for getting out of trouble, when she uttered her next sentence, and my hi-fi halted midway. “A minute? Do you know how long I have been standing here? It’s been 15 minutes! So, don’t give me the crap saying you were in washroom! And do you realize what time it is? It’s 2:10 pm! The bus left few minutes ago”
Suddenly, my sleep vanished. I had a seminar to attend and there was no way I could miss it. Missing it would mean the co-ordinators get the liberty to deduct marks and I couldn’t afford that! So, waving off mom’s complaints, I decided to take the scooty. In 5 minutes, I was ready and was driving towards college. But my mind was still recalling what mom had told when I was getting ready. She had arrived at 1:55 pm as she didn’t want me to miss the seminar because of her. She had knocked a few times, but I hadn’t responded. Though she had deduced that I might have dozed off, she was worried thinking of other possibilities. She wanted to call me, to wake me up but she had left her mobile phone in the hurry. The neighbours were still at the function and thus the option of calling from their home was ruled out. With nothing much left to do, she had started banging hard, trying to reach me in whatever land I was lost in! I had felt so embarrassed when she told me this. How could I have slept so soundly! Well, I blame it on the delicious food.
Lost in thoughts, I didn’t see the hump on the road, until I almost lost my balance due to it. Strange! There were no humps on the way from my home till college! I looked around and after a few seconds, realized that I was in some unfamiliar place. This wasn’t the usual route I took and I had no idea where I was! I tried to look for something familiar that might hint me to the location I am but no such luck. I began to panic. What if I couldn’t find my way back? “I will, I will” I began chanting. I wanted to ask someone where I was but what if they took it as an opportunity and kidnapped me? It was a deserted area and there weren’t many people. Kidnapping was easier; well not that easy, considering the extra pounds I weighed but still what chance did I stand against a group? I started hyperventilating! So asking some stranger for direction was a bad idea! With no other option left, I decided to take a U-turn and drive back, hoping I would find my way eventually.
Few minutes into the task and I had arrived at a dead end. What route could I have possibly taken that I wasn’t able to find a way out? God must have forgotten to add the sense of direction when he was creating me! That was the only plausible answer I had. Blaming God was easier than accepting the fact that I had failed to pay attention! Soon, I found out that it just wasn’t the sense of direction that he forgot to add, but also the sense of identification! How else could I have not identified the person who was waving at me from the other end of the road!?
I kept staring at her, trying to remember who she was. Her face looked familiar but I couldn’t recall exactly who she was. When I didn’t respond to her waving, she crossed the road and came to my side and said “I missed the bus. Can you give me a ride? I can’t afford to be late for today’s seminar” she said. Suddenly I remembered who she was. Well not exactly, but I realized that she was my classmate. Now I just had to remember her name and the puzzle would be cracked. I was trying hard when she asked again, “Will you?” She was looking at me strangely, probably wondering if she had made a mistake asking me, who no doubt looked like a mentally challenged person at that time, what with my slow reactions! I quickly decided it was the best option I had, if I wanted to reach college on time. So feigning non-chalance, I said “Sure. But you have to drive. I am feeling too sleepy to do it myself. Also, I am a little unfamiliar to this area and we might reach late if I drive” That did the trick. She promptly took the scooty from me and started driving while I rode the pillion, listening to her talk about so many things. She was talking about our classmates, their crushes and many such college gossips. It was an enlightening ride to me as I was oblivious to all those tit-bits, owing to my lack of attention. I even started liking her, after having spoken so much to her in that short period of time. I decided I would find out her name from my friends as soon as I reach college.
Everything would have been fine, had I kept my mouth shut after reaching college. But speaking my mind at the wrong times was one of the gifts God had given me, that helped me make a fool of myself at the most inappropriate moments! Glutton to the punishment that I was, I had asked her “Do you know the girl who is giving seminar today? I have never heard of her! Wonder who she is” My new friend, looked at me like I was an alien and not someone with whom she was chatting happily few minutes ago, and shrugged. I wondered what the reason was for the change of attitude. May be she didn’t feel the need to speak to me, now that she no longer needed my help!
I didn’t have to wait too long to find out. When the seminar started and she stepped on the stage, I got it all! I had laughed with her like we were long lost friends and in the end, had confessed (unknowingly) that I had no clue she was! Could I have been more successful in making a fool of myself? I seriously doubt it!
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