We'll Just Have To Wait !!

I was standing behind the bus-stop, behind the lines of people who queued to take the next bus. I was standing at the corner, in front of the Titan showroom under its maroon-white board. I was standing there reading, a book in hand, my back leaning against the wall, feet crossed & my shoulder bag tucked away to avoid being picked by that unknown clever stranger.

And I waited, waited for an hour, and thirty minutes more, until this friend of mine showed up all flushed n furious.

She was out for the last one hour & 30 minutes, waiting patiently in the rickshaw at every traffic signal for that light to blink green. She controlled her temper when the auto driver parked his vehicle to answer his phone which was ringing incessantly en route. She nearly mouthed those words while he drove carefully making his way between those cars n bikes & stopped short of blurting them out when he rushed to escape the red signal somewhere. Her patience was put to test today while he rode down in tortoise speed over the Western Express Highway, while others just zipped by.

“Excuse me!”

“Yes,” I looked up.

“Will you be leaving soon?” He asked.

I was just paying the bill for that coffee I took the longest to finish – too sweet for my taste, therefore, it made for an even more difficult drink. And my stomach had said no to idlis & dosas already because there was a recent vada pav & two idlis ready for a digestive run.

I saw myself nodding in affirmation and saying, “Sure. Give me a minute.” He smiled & sat down opposite me, his legs to the aisle like one of those yogic postures performed to enhance a strong spine.

Thank God, my corner was vacant and I took my place at the Titan door reading some more. Squabbles broke out in the bus stop. Some queue breakers were pushed off, some were blasted, others got ugly looks but somehow they managed to hold on to the last rung & take that bus. I faced a new set of people every time I looked up in between my pages. We were the constant factor—the watchman of the joint, the titan salesmen, the flower sellers & me.

And I remembered the kiddo’s instructions while I was planning this trip to the city of Mumbai during the weekend.

“Try to move on & not to stay at a place for more than five-ten minutes.

U never know.