In the Nick of Time

If you stay in Mumbai, u cannot avoid public transport. By ‘you’ I am referring to you, a member of the burgeoning middle class, looking for economical and fast transport. Let us see how the vagaries of public transport can make or break a deal through an incident in the lives of our Vicky n Shruti one evening when they went shopping:
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“Hmm… limited edition French Connection watch eh? For whom? And where did u get the money from?” asked Vicky.

“It is for Bhaiyya… And yeah, I have saved my allowance for a long time. Bhaiyya would love to get the watch on his bday… I have told u na how much he loves watches. But we need to hurry; the store person said that there are only 2 more watches left and no more collections are expected in the near future…!” Shruti said with a shine in her eyes.

“Why don’t u ask them to just hold 1 for u…?” Vicky suggested.

“I did, but it seems it is against their policy … let us take Kaka’s bus which starts from ur office… we shall reach station fast!”

“Kaka’s bus? All my colleagues go in that… I can’t risk taking u with me in it… let us go for BEST instead!”

“U sure? I don’t wanna miss the watch!”

“You can kill me if that happens… trust me!” says Vicky in an attempt to create some humor.

They then set off to the Bus Stop.

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BEST Bus

“Hey… all buses for Bandra Station are so full… chalo na, lets go to Kaka’s bus!”

“Offo Shruti, have patience! I will ensure u get ur watch… accha, here is a bus for Dharavi; we shall go in it and get a rick from Kalanagar, as it is, rickshaw to the station is almost impossible from here!”

Shruti makes a wry face, but complies with Vicky’s suggestion. They get into the bus.

“So where is the French Connection stoooor… PHAAATTTT…!!! (Suddenly there is huge noise outside the bus) Hey kya hua?”

They realize that the bus tyre just burst… and they are just 2 stops away from where they started!

“Oh no… my watch…” Shruti is now lamenting.

Seeing her, Vicky reconsiders his decision and they move towards the Kaka’s bus, colleagues and their comments notwithstanding…! Thus they finally reach Bandra Station.

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Local Train

Vicky n Shruti reach Bandra Station from where they have to take a train to Vile Parle. They notice a huge rush on the platforms, exceptionally more than usual.

“Hey, watsup? Why so much crowd?”

They suddenly hear an announcement which states (roughly translated) ‘Due to the snapping of overhead cable at Bombay Central, all trains are running late. Inconvenience caused to passengers is highly regretted!”

Shruti is now on the verge of tears. Like a cricket match score update, she has just got to know from the French Connections store that now only 1 watch is left. With the train problem, it seems unlikely she will be able to reach the store on time.

“Why is everything going wrong today? When there is no urgency, everything will be on time!”

Finally, a train for Andheri comes to the platform. People are hanging from the doors and there is not an inch of space left. But Vicky n Shruti take a chance and travel in the Handicapped compartment (which itself is relatively full with normal people!).

At Vile Parle, they almost get thrown out of the train due to the rush… suddenly they notice a Ticket Examiner… before he has a chance to come near them; they manage to give him a slip!

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Rickshaw

“Arre bhaiyya Irla chaloge?”
“Bhaiyya Irla?”
“Irla?”
“Oooofff!!!” All rickshaws are moving past them with the drivers giving them looks as though it is a criminal offence to travel in a rickshaw to Irla!

Vicky n Shruti are exasperated. Not a single rickshaw driver is willing to take them to Irla where the French Connection store is.

“Where do these people want to go? Why can’t they take us to Irla?” Shruti is frustrated with the rickshaw guys. “They need a few more days of Meter Jam. Only then will they stop taking customers for a ride!”

Meter Jam was a day when the general public boycotted rickshaws in order to protest their unreasonable ways. But it seems there has been no change in the rickshaw drivers even after the protest!

“Shruti I think we should just start walking. Who knows, we might reach Irla faster than just waiting here asking all these rickshaw people who are anyway not willing to come!”

Shruti is now in no mood to contradict anything that Vicky says. She dumbly starts walking behind him, hoping that she will still get the last watch!

So, slowly trudging all the way, Vicky n Shruti reach the store.

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At the Store

“Hey Vicky look! There’s the watch I wanna buy… but a couple seems to have already shortlisted it! See… that lady seems to be keen on getting it for her partner!”

Shruti is now really upset. Will she miss the watch for which she n Vicky took so much pain? She turns around to look for Vicky… hey! Where is he?

VICKY

The signature tune of Bond 007 is playing in his mind. He is slowly walking towards the couple who has shortlisted the watch. He is as unobtrusive as Bond and he is sure no one is looking at him. He is now directly behind the couple and is waiting for his chance. Shruti is watching him, confused, wondering what he is upto, but knowing better than call out to him loudly.

Suddenly Vicky notices that the lady gets a call on her cell. Her attention is diverted from the watch and her partner is scrutinizing the other watch she has shortlisted. Vicky senses his chance… NOW!

Vicky springs forwards clasping the watch in his left hand in a diving effort which will make any super fielder’s effort on the cricket field pale in comparison! Shruti cannot believe her eyes! And neither can the lady, who suddenly notices that the watch she shortlisted is missing from the table!! She swerves around in surprise to realize that the watch has been taken by someone else!

Vicky rushes to the billing counter followed keenly by the lady… thhaaaaak… he hits his elbow hard on one of the display shelves… not in the position to stop and examine his elbow, he rushes on…

“Please bill this on my credit card… quick!”

The billing guy must never have seen someone so desperate to bill a watch… Vicky’s desperation could be compared to the hurry of an asthmatic billing for an asthma pump to take a breathe from before his breathlessness gets the better of him… in other words, a matter of life n death!! Finally, before the lady could even stake her claim on the watch, it gets billed and Vicky pays for it with his credit card…SOLD!

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Shruti, who has been numb all the while witnessing Vicky’s efforts to get the watch she wanted is now overwhelmed. They are in a train back home now and she is holding the watch in her hands. An angry greenish blue bruise is forming on Vicky’s elbow where he hit it on the shelf at the store.

“Vicky thanks… if it had not been for u, I would not have got the watch!”

“Hey Shruti! U don’t need to thank me… but next time…”

“Next time…?”

“Next time u want to buy something, please please…”

“Please what Vicky?”

“Pleeeease don’t call me to accompany u…!!!”

“Vicky U….!” Shruti thwacks him on his head before hugging him tight!
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Lost in Vicky and Shruti’s love story is the point that had it not been for the uncertainty caused by the public transport on that day, they would have managed to get the watch without all the drama. As Murphy’s Law states, ‘If anything has to go wrong it will!’ and so it did that day with Shruti. But thanks to Vicky and no thanks to the Mumbai public transport, she managed to get the watch In the Nick of Time!

A Lovers’ Tiff

“So what shall we do this Saturday… I have half day class and so will be able to escape from home making full day class ka bahana… bolo na… shall we go to Marine Drive?”
“Shruti, have u thought anything about what u will do after B.Com?”
“Vicky, whats this, forget na… lets plan for Saturday!”
“No Shruti, I hope u r not taking the CET lightly… there are just a few weeks left and u should become serious about MBA now…”
“But Vicky, all these years I was only studying, let me chill for a few months, then I will decide on PG!”
“Definitely not! A few months of rest means loss of a year… look at me… in spite of doing my MBA, I m still giving CFA… in today’s world forget graduation, even 1 PG is not enough. Anyway, my CFA Level 2 exams are also due in a few weeks. Nowadays I do not get much time to study in the evenings. So I want to spend Saturday with books.”
“Hmph… so ever since we started dating u have lost ur precious study time…?”
“Arre, did I say that… I m just saying, along with spending quality time together, we should also make time to spend with ourselves… I see a great future for u Shruti, u just have to make up ur mind for it. Spend some time planning for that!”
“Vicky, I never realized that our dates are troubling u so much… (in tears already)… u should have told me na…”
“U stop crying, n chalo, lets move now, else we shall be late for home.”
“Yes, let’s move, after all u have to study for CFA!”
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SHRUTI
I never realized that I am a liability to him… do I really trouble him so much? I loved all those evenings we spent together at Bandstand… never thought that all the time he was probably lamenting the loss of precious time! If he feels that I m not spending enough time thinking about my future, it also means that he himself feels he lacks time for that… courtesy me… Anyway, he always confesses that he does not love me yet… does that mean I have been plain pushy all this while? Dragging him with me to dates when he would rather spend time with family, friends or his study? O god, why do I love him so much and why does he not…? No, this is not done, I shall exit from his life and save him all the trouble… he has to do his CFA, he has to go higher…. And I don’t want to come in the way of that…
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A day has passed after the tiff… Shruti has switched off her cell knowing that Vicky will msg. She spends the day moping in her room. She has had a good cry reading ‘I too had a love story’, not coz of the story, but coz she too is in that ‘I too had a love story’ mode! She is feeling calmer now and feeling that she can do this, after all it is for the benefit of her Vicky, and she will do anything to make him happy!
But Vicky Is worried. Shruti has not replied to his messages. She is not taking his calls. Watsup? But he does not give up. He persists and finally, after 2 days, Shruti attends Vicky’s call.
“So u succeeded in making me attend ur call!”
“Shruti, watsup?”
“Nothing, how are ur CFA preps going?”
“Hmm… leave at 5 today. We shall meet.”
“And what after that?”
“You leave that to me. Leave at 5.”
At 5, Vicky meets a sullen Shruti. She is ill at ease.
“So u dint want to speak to me?”
“Hmmm…”
“Why?”
“Coz I don’t want to be a liability for u, I want u to do what u want always, don’t want to come in ur way…”
“Hmm… and did I say u r a liability to me? Don’t u think I treasure the time which I spend with u?”
“I don’t know Vicky, I just want u to be happy…”
“And my happiness lies with u Shruti, u know why? Coz… I love You…!”
“Wh… What…? What did u say?”
“What I should’ve said a long time back dear Shruti… I love you and want to be with u all the time…”
“Oh Vicky…!” (Shruti is beside herself with joy)…
But Vicky has something more to add:
“Par shart yeh hai ki MBA ya CFA exam time na ho…!”
“Vicky… u rogue…!’
And they hug… and the embrace is so tight… it appears they will never let go…

Oops..

Have you ever experienced the thrill of a clandestine relationship… where you have to hide from all and still make the most of your time with your beloved? Sample what happened to Vicky n Shruti, a young couple in Mumbai, out to spend some quality time with each other…
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“Stop it Vicky”…
“Aw Cmon Shruti, its Bandstand!!!”
“That’s just it, didn’t you read the Mumbai Mirror? These residents all have cameras installed to keep a watch on couples… I don’t want to give them live LSD here!!!”
“Is it about the residents or are you just worried some footage might reach ur Papa n bhaiyya… Ouch!!!” Vicky ducks the blow Shruti aims at him. “It is you who is always paranoid about coming across my Papa n bhaiyya during a date. Have u ever seen me worried? Trust me, if such a situation happens someday, I will take care of it very well!”
“Ok my Rani Laxmi Bai (has to duck again to avoid blows)… shall we move now… else no amount of extra classes will be able to explain your delay in reaching home.”
“Yup, lets move, we might be in time for the Dadar local if we leave now.”
“Dadar local? Isnt it the one ur Papa n bhaiyya always take?”
“VICKY!!! Any more mention of my family n I m not coming out with u again. Have some guts dear…!!!”
“Ok Ok… now lets leave…”
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“Phew… lucky, we are in time for the train… so which compartment?”
“Hmm… Papa n bhaiyya are likely to be at the Churchgate end… so we need to take a compartment in the opposite direction. And anyway, in dadar locals, the compartments in the virar end are always emptier than the churchgate end ones!!! Watsay?”
“You are the boss madam. The train’s here… move in!”
“Vicky, lets move right, I think I know that uncle on the left…” “Ok, right it is…” ”OH SHIT… OOPS…!!!”

Shruti sees her Papa n bhaiyya just as they see her… Oops Oops…!!!!!!!!!!

“Chutki! What are you doing in the general compartment? The ladies coach was empty!”, says Papa. A totally frantic Shruti looks around for Vicky to see that he has thankfully moved to the other side, away from view. Phew! “Er… Papa, there was a typical ladies fight at the entrance of the compartment. Couldn’t enter… decided on this coach instead. Dadar local na… so thought it might be empty”. Shruti is crossing her fingers, unsure whether her story would suffice and also upset at not being able to spend the last few minutes of the evening with her Vicky.

“Haan Papa, these ladies, they keep fighting for no reason, even in empty trains”, echoes Bhaiiya (much to Shruti’s relief).
“Accha, so u stand here now.” Papa n bhaiyya go into their usual business and maal related discussions and Shruti picks up her cell to message Vicky…

“Sorry dear, u ok na?”
“I m perfectly ok, u relax Shruti!”
“Shit, wat a waste!”
“Dnt wry, we will get mre opportunities ;-), btw, I m impresd by ur presence of mind… maan gaye!”
“Hmmm… told u na, trust me.”
“Yup, now I believe you!”

The train journey appears very long with both Shruti n Vicky trying to steal glances at each other but not having the guts to do so due to the presence of Shruti’s Papa n Bhaiyya. The vey long (but in reality 30 min) journey comes to an end.

“Chalo Chutki, abhi bus milegi… No. 722”. “Ok Papa”. Shruti is scanning the crowd for Vicky. But she is unable to spot him. She is now very disappointed as she had hoped to silently bid him bye before going home. The stress of the evening is now getting to her as she wants to be with Vicky but cant…

“Here’s the bus”… bhaiyya points out and Papa, bhaiyya n Shruti pile in. Shruti feels her cell vibrate, but is unable to check it. The bus is too crowded and Shruti is hanging to the pole. She finally manages to open her inbox with one hand to check the message. It’s from Vicky n says:

“Shruti, I m in the same 722… standing at the back…!”

Shruti looks back n sees her tall dark n handsome hero looking at her… and she starts giggling… “Kya hua Chutki”, asks Papa. “Nothing Papa, kuch yaad aa gaya.”, n she laughs n laughs…
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In todays fast world, we have no time to think of the days we were young and carefree, like Vicky n Shruti, for whom being caught by parents is the biggest worry in life. Today when we are worried about deadlines, targets, bonus and spouse, life is actually going waste. So stop, think of those days. And I hope my story brought alive some memories to you too… and made you stop n smile in your fast paced life!!!