My Journey to Work - A Day in my Life

I was telling one of my colleagues the other day , how I used to commute by all means of transport to work everyday , when the thought dawned on me. I should write about my journey from home to work . Read on ,you wont be disappointed . 

So , I live with my family and the breakfast and lunch is well taken care off by you-know-who . Mum . There have been times when I just plain stare at my mom , when she had prepared a tasty breakfast , or when I know she had done something I Love for lunch , like Potato fry with Lemon rice. I look at her like she is a miracle. Correction. She is one . I just look at her and thank my stars , for I am blessed to eat such good home cooked food from a woman whose dictionary doesn't have any other letters than L, O ,V ,E arranged in no other order. So , my affair with breakfast is followed by me arranging the money for bus , share auto. Its a standard 27/- in denominations of 10/- , 10/- , 5/- ,2/- . Every time I arrange this money , I remind myself what a genius I am and I should have scored a solid 10 marks more in my 12th Board Math exam. The catch is , 27/- always accommodates any ticket price the bus conductor yells out at me. So, I never I have to scramble for change of coins. Smart right ?. I know.

I head out. Temples , hawkers, cycle commuters, some random street people pass by. I rarely see regular faces on my way to the share auto stand from home. On days when i wear a light colored shirt , I become extra religious , praying to all good spirits that some crow doesn't decorate my shirt with its blessings. You have no idea , but I am certain many of us grapple with this fear when we sport white shirts. So , I walk fast , powered by my queen's sumptuous food. Somewhere en-route , my hands reach out for the 10 rupee note , as I pray from within that a bus will come and I can save 5/- and use this for snacks later during the day. Sometimes a bus does come and I board it. Sometimes it comes and I see it but it scoots away before I reach the stop . Eventually I silence my inner circus and hop onto a share auto to be closely sitting with 3 random people , lost in their own worlds along with the driver who rambles about some random event in the city. I just listen and ride it out till the station . 

A few minutes walk and the station greets me with hordes of people waiting for the next train already. Some even courageously hope for a seat when I mentally scorn at them thinking ' not happening , get lost ' . One of the pricking things when I descend down the stairs towards the tracks are these turtle people who walk like their legs are tied with a ton of cotton. These creatures are human snails. Only their antennas and that gooey liquid from their legs is missing. I might sound rude here, but you have to imagine how tough it feels for a young energetic partially fit boy to patiently walk behind people who don't seem to care about others coming from behind. Not to forget the women. Meh . I have to be extra careful when the women folk are scattered all over the station like mustards on sambar rice. I try not to dash onto them , as I hurry past all these obstacles to reach my favorite spot of the train . To all of you non-train commuters , there is such a thing called a 'Favorite coach' for us folks . We always stand near these coaches because we know that's the best place to be.  

I reach the destination and again sometimes there will be truck load of people , some standing like buffaloes in India , not flinching a centimeter for those trying to take the stairs. There is this occasional train ticket collector who ruthlessly stops people to validate if their ride was paid for or not. Every random time one such person stops me , I take it as a deep personal insult. My heart screams from within and curses at the Inspector 'How can he not trust me ,Do I look like a free rider , Look at me , How decent and charming I am' . My brain hushes my heart as I proudly re-establish my pride when I show the inspector my Train Pass like the cops in New York . [ We are from the police moment]. The train ride is mostly smooth, except sometimes when our gender challenged friends come and haunt us for like 30 seconds and they leave until they have made some money out of vulnerable people.  Truth be told , sometimes I pretend to be on call or sleep away when they charge towards me , in a bid to escape from their demands. These days , I don't employ any tactics and reject  them straight faced. 

                                   

I reach the bus stop. A few minutes of walk and similar random people irritating me with their slow gait ,  To my luck , I always a get a seat in the buses. Makes me feel special . Sometimes , when I am late , I sacrifice the desire for a seat and I stand all the way. Every few seconds , I peek over my behind, feel my bottom , my shirt pockets to see if my ID Card , purse, watch are not stolen.  The ride from here to my Office is pretty normal , as I get myself a ticket and quickly wear my over-the-head headphones , listening to my favorite music . I sometimes smile , as I imagine good things happening to me, fueled by the good music. Again , sometimes the Bus ticket checker stops the bus and the same emotions follow . But that's the daily grind . 

The stop comes, as I finally prepare myself for a fruitful day at work. I mostly try to get down from a running bus to show my hero skills but I clearly noticed that no one notices me when I get down . I still continue to this. May be one day , someone might. On the way to my campus,  sales people keep wielding their cards/pamphlets to be rejected by 98% of us folks. Few collect them , as a matter of respect , only to crumble it into a small ball and throw it into the dustbin.  Sometimes, when an attractive girl walks by , I try to throw it a few steps ahead in a oh-so-cliched way of impressing the girls with style and charm. Sometimes , I miss the bin and my heart aches so loud for a second . But the feeling disappears when I compare myself to Messi, Ronaldo and how they have missed goals.

I proceed to my desk , to be greeted by my extended family - my darling colleagues, as I make myself comfortable in the plush interiors of my Office. Deep sigh... If after reading this , someone says silence the mind and be calm , I want to shove a ripe green banana up their mouth . With this much action happening everyday in my life as I travel from home to work , Staying calm is a million dollar achievement. 

Until next time :).....!!!