Around 8.30 am, I got up. More like – I had to get up! Suji’s (short for Sujitha) had gotten up, and like every kid his age, the first thing he did was wake the whole family up.
I was surprised to see Suji sitting there on the sofa and smiling that really sweet smile of hers.
Suji: “Good morning da … Slept well?”
Me: “Yeah … Really well … How come you’re up so early?”
Suji: “Well … I’m used to getting up early. And btw – Happy New Year da!”
Me: “Happy New year to you too sweets … Where’s Kakku and Ayyub?”
Suji: “Those lazy bums haven’t gotten up yet!”
Another 5 minutes later, I saw Kakku and Ayyub in the hall. Clearly, Omm had visited their room as well. Sally and Hasna had joined us as well. By this time auntie had come into the hall holding a tray of coffee and tea for the whole group.
I exchanged another round of “Good Mornings” and “Happy New Year” with the rest of the crew and headed off to the washroom to clean up.
After our coffees, I lean over to Suji’s ear and whisper “Dude … Do u have any idea how off u were yesterday?”
Suji: “Really … I don’t remember anything da!”
Me: “Don’t worry sweets … I have everything on video … I took the liberty yesterday …”
Saying this I flip fish out my cell phone and hand it over to Suji. An obviously puzzled and curious Suji starts watching the video. Another 5 mins later, she was all smiles.
Suji: “Wow … I didn’t know alcohol could do this to people.”
Me: “You’re a first timer Na … No worries … You will improve over time … I promise!”
Suji: “Well … I’m looking forward to that …”
One thing I could say for sure - after the experience the previous night – Me, Suji, Ayyub, and Kakku were going to be really good friends for life. Heck – It was a wonderful New Year after all!
After a sumptuous breakfast, I decided to head to my aunts place. I had promised them that I’d be there by lunch time and that we would dine together. After thanking auntie and Suji for their hospitality and for letting me stay the night, I head over to my house to clean up.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, I head over to my aunts place. Oh before I forget – Jabar had not yet returned. I bet he was at his girls place. “The lucky bastard…” I thought before heading out.
Once at my aunt’s place, I wished everyone – my sis, uncle and auntie – a Very Happy New Years’, and they reciprocated in kind. Once the initial hungama settled down, my aunt started off with her interrogation
Auntie: “Where were you yesterday?”
Me: “I was invited to dinner by a few friends from work.”
Auntie: “And …”
Me: “I went over had dinner with those guys and came back home”
Auntie: “Hmmmm … So you didn’t go to any club or bar yesterday?”
Obviously I had expected these questions from her, and I had rehearsed my answers on my ride from my place to hers.
Me: “Ayooooooeee … Why would you think I’d do that? Those places are extremely expensive to go to, and I’m not stupid to go there!”
Auntie: “Don’t lie to me da …”
Me: “Seriously auntie … Why would I lie to you. I work at Diapro remember. I don’t earn enough to party at these so called clubs.”
That did it. She decided to call it quits.
Maybe that last statement was the debate winner. Or for all you know - maybe she wasn’t very bothered about where I was the previous night. But heck – the interrogation had ended, and I wasn’t about to incite another round of it by clarifying the same with her.
My sis – who I confided in – leans over and started her interrogation
Sis: “Where were you yesterday?”
Me: “I was at a friends place … My roomie was there at home … So – I went over to her place to spend New Years”
Sis: “HER???”
Me: “Oh … don’t worry … she’s married, and she had a kid!”
Sis: (Obviously relieved) “Oh … then no problems!”
Me: “I had a fun time … We had dinner … We all got together for a movie after that … wished each other Happy New Year and then crashed!” I lied.
Sis: “Oh that’s nice …”
I felt guilty lying to her. I’m a little protective about my friends, and I didn’t want Suji to look like a bad person in front of them. So, I had to lie. It didn’t make me feel good, and I knew I was going to hell for it – but I lied. But hey - In my defense I’d like to quote Winston Churchill “A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do”.
Enough of this melodrama!!! Let’s move on!
An eventless half-day later, I started packing for my trip - that night - to Bangalore.
As per the Diapro travel policies, I was eligible for a Volvo A/C Sleeper Bus tickets, or a 2nd A/C Train tickets for my travel. I had chosen the former. Why? It was the more expensive one. And I simply wanted to get as much out of this trip - and Diapro for that matter - as possible. Hey – In my defense, they were paying me peanuts as salary, and there was no such thing as a job satisfaction. Hence, this was my way of getting revenge!
So, at around 10 pm, I head over to Koyambeddu bus terminus (that’s where I was supposed to board my bus). The auto rickshaws of Chennai are most famous for two things
1. Meters that spins faster than their autos move.
2. The mind boggling – exorbitant even – rates they charge.
And true to their reputation, I was charged 100 bucks for a 4 kms trip. But heck - It was the first time I was traveling by an A/C sleeper bus, and frankly, I was very excited about the whole deal.
I must say, I was very pleased with the sort of facilities and comfort the bus offered. The only disadvantage to it – V/S its train counterpart – was that there were no toilets.
In the event I wanted to take a leak, I had to do it in open air. But hey – I was a guy and let’s call it One-of-the-Perks-of-being-born-as-a-guy – “The world is your toilet!” So, as per me, it wasn’t a major disadvantage at all.
So, I settle down for a nice well deserved sleep. Tomorrow morning, Bangalore!!!
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