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.