You bastard!

I love travelling. From autorickshaws to aeroplanes, looking at people and places…drinking in the beauty of the rich diversity on the streets.. It is rarely that we actually sit and contemplate about life, and there is no better time than when travelling.

But there are always the sticky situations. It was a crowded bus in Chennai, and it was a long journey. I was standing in the middle, and was hanging on to those thingummies that you hang on to in buses and trains.

I was feeling extremely sleepy.. and i had just had some heavy food at my friends place. Now usually, in crowded buses, you just SLEEP, leaning on people, taking support at weird angles. But, there was a sight problem here.

I was surrounded on all sides by women, young women. Front, back, left and right. All twenty-something. If i slept, i might just lean/fall on one of them. I tried desperately to keep my eyes open…but weariness took over and i slipped into dreamland.

“You Bastard!”

I woke up with a jerk. I drearily opened my eyes..

“I cant believe you.”

With a start, i realized that the girl in front of me( a pretty looking girl in her early twenties, one of those rich city types in skimpy clothes and with the latest accessories) was making a very nasty face at me and was uttering the above holy phrases.

“Err..uh…”

” Huh, always the same, you…( Tamil expletives I’d rather leave untranslated).”

“Err…I’m sorry..i slept off..”

She removed her earphones and said “What? what do you want?”

Double Whammy. I suddenly realize whats happening.I mumble and grope for words.

She s in a clearly foul mood. “whatever”, and gets back to her phone.

The other passengers start giving me nasty looks, thinking i was cracking indecent comments at her.

Sheesh! And just when i composed myself, i realized that my stop had already passed.

Talk about bad luck.