Da Vinci Could?

Damn!This guy is reading way too fast for me. I should just not have peeked into his book. BUt then how else would i start a converstaion. He hardly seems the chatty type. & i can't be blamed for not trying.They just don't make guys like they used to. I remember all the ones in college. Morons. never knew how to treat a girl. Now this guy seems kind of sweet. Definitely not geeky. Definitely my type. Well at least he has chosen the same book that i am reading. Now how freaky is that. Imagine sitting next to a good looking guy & reading the same book as he is, 35,000 above the ground. Damn! he seem so engrossed in that book. maybe i should wait for him to finish that book, before i send a conversation starter his way. What better way to
start a conversation than with this book. If only i can keep up with him & finish it just as he does. I can then close my book with a flourish & say something smart about the book. Shoot. He's tunred another page. Hmm.Maybe this page is not that important & I can skip it.So here we are, 156 pages into the book & he still hasn't taken his eyes off that book & we have had two lines of conversation. "Hi, I think you're in my seat.""Sorry. I like the aisle because of the legroom. please go ahead & have your seat" Maybe i should have given him the aisle seat. Maybe that's why he doesn't want to talk to me. Damn! I can be so daft at times. He is kind of tall & I am sure he could have made use of the legroom more than me. I might have enjoyed the window seat as well. Hmm..but then, this is such a long flight & I will need to use the loo, so maybe the aisle
seat IS a better idea. Well, it is & if he wants this seat he can ask me. maybe he is too shy to ask me. Or maybe he finds me too intimidating. How can that be? I have been polite with the stewardess & everybody else, haven't I? Maybe i can talk to him when he has to go to the loo. Uh oh, there go a few more pages. I better start concentrating or I won't really have much to discuss when he finishes the book. ok, so they were in Paris, so how did they end up in England
now? Why do they keep talking about Christ every now & then? oh well, I better read on. I'l probably get it in the next few pages. Maybe they have time travel. Time travel huh? that would be neat. I am sure that would wipe away so many hours of such flights going halfway around the earth! There is a downside too. I wouldn't have got to meet this guy...Ah here we are..just 10 pages to go..but for christ's sake, i don't know why these people are in this old church. What does Magdalene have to do with these kids? Oh well, maybe these few pages will tell me.Ah! there he's finished the book. Now is my chance to close the book with a flourish. Not too soon & not too late. Here goes.
"So, neat book huh? i saw you were reading the same book. How freaky is that?"
"Kind of cool uh?. I noticed that. So, which part did you like best?"
"Um..everything actually. really wonderful way of writing. Very close to reality!"
"Really, so you believe that? kind of hard to believe i would think. i think i liked the movie better though."
"You saw the movie? trying to see if you missed something?"
"HaHa. Sort of. Anyway i saw you reading & did not want to disturb you. You looked like you were concentrating really hard!"

The date..

So..tell me again, why are we here?
Isn't this your favourite restaurant?
But why here?
Don't you remember what day it is?
Of Course I do. Why wouldn't I?
Do you remember being here?
How could i forget all those innumerable times?
Remember what i ordered the first time?
Wasn't it that weird sounding dish that you knew i absolutely hated?
I guess i just I loved that look on your face when i ordered?
Or were you just looking at my clothes?
Either way i was entralled wasn't i?
Hmm.. I am still so heady an experience eh?
You have no idea honey, none at all! or do you? more wine?
Its my birthday, bring it on. Why wouldn't i?
Yes. You deserve this honey. All this & much much more. But i don't know if i deserve you?
You don't. That's why I am married to John!You never talk about Mary. How is she?
She's fine. Just the usual banter everyday. Why this, why that?
So she bores you?
Doesn't John. Are all marriages supposed to be so boring?
Probably. But that is not what we are here to discuss are we?What did you call me here for?Maybe this is not the right place to talk about it. Fancy a drive?
In that Jazzy blingy car of yours?
Why not?
Oh well.But why are we heading towards the suburbs?
Time to be surprised, honey. you don't trust me?
Its not that. You wouldn't understand.Have you ever felt the need to be loved & not had it?
Hmm..haven't i heard that before?
Forget it.Uh oh.Why are we stopping here? John might be home you know.What exactly do you have in mind?
Never mind what's on my mind. just follow me. Honey, why these doubts now?
John's home! I wonder why he looks so happy!Oh My god! All my friends are here.This is my best birthday ever.Thank you John!!

Missed call..

Not one message? not even a missed call? Hmm..twelve hours & nobody even thought of me? Why? its Sunday morning. People are probably recovering from their saturday night parties. I wish they would call me to one of those.Sigh! that will be the day. Even if these people have been out all night, I wonder why they didn't think of me? Did i say anything wrong? Well, i probably would have to meet them to do any of that.Its been so long since i met any of them. I miss them all. All those years of friendship have now come to naught? All because they met other people who would partner them for life. Were friends only meant to share your life until you meet that special one? just not fair. Hmm..probably it would have been easier to understand if i was in a "relationship" too. The idea of living with somebody for life is so confusing. My whole life will change. Am i ready for that? maybe not! I wonder how some of them find it so easy to just start living with somebody new. & sometimes people they hadn't even known a few months ago. But to be fair to them, they do invite me & try setting me with someone new every once in a while. Its maybe me who has all the wrong ideas!That still doesn't explain why nobody thought of me in all of 12 hours! 12 hours when the world was partying somewhere & I was lying here recouping from this nasty measles. I know they can't come over & see me, but the least they can do is think about me. Am i so inconsequential in their lives that all it took was for me to be out of sight, to be out of their memories. Did i not leave any mark on any of them? Did those laughters not count? all those moments of joy & pain. They are all probably just busy. Maybe none of them went out. If they were out I'm sure i would have come up for discussion some point of time.At least one of them would have wanted to know how i was or if i was getting bored & dropped me a sms if not called me. how many times have they all partied, missed me sorely & called me. Hmm.. i wonder if they missed me "sorely" or it was trying to rub it in that i am home & they are all out there. Maybe nobody likes me anymore.Damn. Life is going to be so tough to get through!
Mom! what are you doing with my phone? Please put it back on the table.
Honey, that's my phone. See this mark on the camera lens? yours is on the bed. Silly one! buying the same kind of phone & thinking my phone is yours!

The Journey

En saar? Only 20Rs. more please.
But its not even 9:00 pm!
Saar, its soo far away no?
So what?
No other passenger for return Journey saar.
Ok. Whatever. Lets go.
Thank you saar.
All you auto fellows are such con-artists I say. How can you possibly live with your conscience?Sir. Now that is being pretty judgemental.
Woah! & here i thought you just got by with your english.
Yeah, I do have to put on the local accent or else the other auto guys will not let me get away with it.
But why?
Why what? Me riding an auto or me giving away my English?
Um..both actually.
Why should i tell you? Its probably none of your business, but you seem like a guy i'd like to share a drink with, so maybe i'll tell you. I could tell you that i am the professor of Philosophy at the nearby university & you'd probably swallow that with enough gusto.So maybe i'll stick to the truth. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction my friend. Hey! you're with me so far?
Go on. I am recovering!
You're from that big MNC & being behind those walls all through the day has probably skewed your view of the world. Somehwere deep down you have categorized the rest into haves & have nots. You are most certainly not loving this view I am telling you about yourself, but at the same time it has started off a chain of thoughts.
I thought this was about you!
Oh yes.Sorry. Got a tad carried away. Getting back. To cut a long story short, I am actually an english professor but don't teach anymore. Sometimes, you see life going all perfect for you but have no clue whether it was you who designed it or some one else. You like to believe that you have all the answers & all the right questions, but in reality you have no clue.What better way of getting in touch with myself than to observe my fellow beings day in & day out. You wouldn't believe the window i have to my passengers world from this seat. A sort of bubble if you will. The moment i start getting involved it bursts.Hmm..I digress a lot. don't i?
Well..you do have about 10 minutes to get away with your digressing!
haha..well you are the true software engineer aren't you? wanting to quantify everything into a time bound equation? A life dictated by that watch of yours. That is why i hate those things! they somehow trap you in a passive way.
Probably not the way i would put it. I never get my schedules right!
Wishful thinking eh?But just think about it..to quote an airline ad, when was the last time you did something for the first time? not in a long time?
Not really. i do have a social life you know? We do fun things together!
Hah! social life. Where every one feeds off each other enacting the roles they think the other wants to see them perform. Somewhere down the line those started getting more stressful than relaxing. That is one of the reasons i chose this profession. I am at liberty to do what i want. Talk to whom i want to. If i ignore a passenger I'm sure i don't impact his day. On the other hand i will surely be noticed if i go out of the way being nice or if i strike a conversation. Everyday before i head out I pick what i want to be today. Somedays i become the preist who listens, the gossip monger, the woeful husband.. the possibilities are infinite my friend.
A priest? I'm sure that is a difficult one to pull off.
Not really, if you had an inkling of the kind of people who i take for a ride.
haha..good one..
It all depends on what you in the backseat are my friend. I will be what you perceive me. You for instance are not very bothered by the normal guy sitting in my seat, who is just another face you have to deal with before getting to your cosy nest. however this whole change has intrigued you enough to get you away from your monotony & dig into what i am & solve this mystery. In your head you are already going over how you will present this evening to your friends. I am digressing again. sorry.
Hmm.. you are quite the guy though..still dangling that carrot aren't you?
haha..uh oh..here comes the rain. The angels are crying for you my friend.
Uh..why?
For that extra 20 Rs you are going to be relieved of!
haha. I don't i mind it that much now.
How easy it is to please your type, isn't it? if i had come to you asking for money in your local language, would you have parted with it so easily. Maybe i appeal to that half of you which is asking to be pulled out of its reviere & wants a little more excitement than your regular workaholic life offers.Sorry if i am sounding judgemental.
I am not sure if i should agree with you or feel downright offended.One half of me is now all defensive that an auto driver whom i barely know is making judgements on my life. The other half sort of agrees with you.
There's a start! Okay friend. that's it for the night. Here's your destination.

The next day as he pored over the newspaper, pictures of the retail store baron opening his new store caught his eye.The back of the head somehow looked very familiar.

The lift!

Hmm..same old lift.but hey! that girl looks new.maybe she joined recently.wonder what floor she works on. I wonder what it is about these lifts.These uncomfortable silences.Put these same people in an aircraft & they will surely get chatty in a couple of minutes.What would be the appropriate things to say in a lift? which floor? maybe not.Would the girl think I am being prude if i complimented on her dress? she does know how to carry herself. Hmm, how come i didn't notice her before today? maybe things will look up in the office now. All the other women are on the wrong side of 30 & grumpy most of the time. Come to think of it I haven't had a date in a long long time. Maybe this is a sign. Lets see, how should i start the conversation? I think I'll compliment her on her dress first. this will have to be subtle of course. I don't want her to think I am leching.She will of course say thank you, then maybe its time for the next move, "The lift journey seems so much more nicer with you around'.Nah. that is kind of lame & maybe a bit corny too. I don't want her to think I am coming on too strongly now. But it does seem nicer with her around. That whiff of perfume that wafted in with her is soo magnetic.Even at the end of the day.Maybe i should just smile & go away after she thanks me. Keep it slow. Tomorrow I can get around here the same time.Maybe i could even wait in the lobby for her. But then, would she think i am stalking? Hopefully not. I wonder how she looks. The dress & that reflection of half her face look promising. how old could she be? looking at those legs not more than 30 i think. That's quite perfect for me. Ah! there we are.The ground floor at last. There she goes. Here's my chance. Now just a decent enough smile. We don't want to scare her. man! she looks mindblowing. Turn turn, look at me. uh oh! what's that? a mangalsutra around her neck!

Untitled!

He sat on the pavement wondering why life was treating him the way it was!He had tried living as much of an honest life as he could. He had never given a bribe nor taken one. Never begged when he was down to his last penny. He had even taken up that job at the construction site.Going home to face his wife with no money was looming large on his mind. He shouldn't have given in & stopped at the arrack shop.One more..one more..it never stopped. He hated this contemplative mood he got into after his evening dose of posion. In a weird way he loved it too. It was his escape from this cruel world. The world which did not let him live & neither did it let him die. It was more cowardice than bravery that kept him alive. He had long since stopped caring for other humans. The years of arguments & fight for survival had left him too scarred to react.He nursed that last pack of arrack in his pocket. This would be the one to help him pass out when he got home. He did not like being ferried home. Even in these desperate times he did not want to seek anybody's help. How would he answer his conscience? A man who had come up on his own. The inebriated state elevated his sense of righteousness & independence. As the skies opened up he stumbled around for some shelter. Luck was on his side at last. He spotted a closed shop which still had its canopy out. Huddled in the corner he fought the desire to finish that last pack that was burning a hole in his pocket. As he finally gave in & drew the pack out, a sheet of paper too fell out. Staring at it he tried recollecting where this was from. Like a bolt of lightning it suddenly came back to him.This was a lottery ticket he had bought trying to be benovelent & helping out that kid on the street. He knew it was a wasted investment the moment the money had exchanged hands. He never won anything & his luck wasn't changing in a hurry! But lo & behold looks like everything was changing today. He was at the lottery shop. What a co-incidence!He scrambled to his feet & checked the number against the results on the wall. It was a full minute before he regained his senses. He had won! He liked the feeling. A slow smile spread across his face. Finally he would be able to get out of this mess. It wasn't a huge amount but enough to get away from this dump & his wife. The last pack was gulped as fast as humany possible before he set out to survey his kingdom. The truck though did not see that triumphant man who had just won his life back