What a night

by Manish Kinger
(Gurgaon)

There are moments in life that always seem to possess an undying effect on our memory; more like an episode with a strong will to survive. I remember having witnessed a real life scenario of similar nature sometime back (actually it?s been quite a while). This incident in particular commenced about a couple of years back, When I was coming home (Gurgaon) from Pune. Had gone there to meet my childhood friend Adi and also to try my luck at a job fest that turned out to be more of a sham (that?s how I like to remember it).

On my way back I opted to travel from Mumbai so as to catch up with another friend as I knew I wouldn't find an opportunity as such in the near future. Like everything was planned, boarded the train from Mumbai. A journey roughly of about 36 hours (that's definitely close) that stretched to a few hours more courtesy some technical glitch; like that's a surprise!! Anyway I somehow managed to de-board at the Nizamuddin Railway station in Delhi at around 2 o'clock in the morning. Having limited stash and a dead cellphone (apparently a 'charging point' is a FIRST CLASS prerogative) I got to say it wasn't the best place to be in. Being a newbie in the city I tried to work my way around it, traveled to the bus stand nearby only to find that there's no bus service to Gurgaon for another 3-4 hours.

If I say I kept my cool, it would be an escalation of the truth; so let's not say that. I was more like a scared kid with a laptop and a backpack; lost in 'trans' to figure out what the hell to do?? After having walked a little I noticed an Auto Rickshaw Stand; somewhat relieved, went ahead to get myself home. There's a thing about Indians; regardless of what situation we are in, we never fail to bargain. It's more like a REFLEX. With all said and done, it was finalized for 250 bucks (I had a 500Rs note at my disposal). Now at this point it was safe to assume that my misery had come to an end BUT it wasn't so!! As the word spread that there was a 'parcel' for Gurgaon, all the fellow drivers jumped in. Only to find the price of the job but my driver was a tough nut to crack and hence got beaten up for the same. I still have not figured out why he didn't just speak up. Anyway I sang like a little bird when someone from the GANG approached me and yes; we did move. Man that feeling was amazing; relief had a new meaning in my life. At least for that moment!!

We had barely moved half a mile and something caught my eyes (not in a good way). There's a PROSTITUTE sitting in an Auto Rickshaw right ahead of us. Now how do I know it's a sex worker; I think when a woman is accessorized as a bride but not dressed as one and a terrible makeup to add on to it, that's a close call but what worked for me were the bathroom chappals and a gutka (tobacco) in hand and mouth filled with the rest. And not to forget the confidence at 3 o'clock!! By then I had not established it to be the worst night of my life; only to see what was coming next. Now the beaten driver wakes up to a Pervert and the best way to project your manhood is to influence a woman; in any way possible. So to reclaim his lost pride this dude begins to flirt (I am sh*tting for now). He drove the Auto Rickshaw absolutely parallel to hers to offer her a gutka (tobacco) packet. To my surprise the lady grabs it (I wish women in real life were so easy) but this guy had something else on his agenda. He teased her for a while and then snatched it (gutka) away.

By now she had lost it. Let me restate; LOST IT!! For the next 5-10 minutes, I had rediscovered profanity. Never knew there's so much more to swearing then what we recognize. She did not leave any dimension and finally when she was done with the verbal conduct; it was time for some action. At that moment I was grabbing my bag as tight as I could hoping that it might shield me from verbal, physical and psychological embarrassment that would follow. A quick recap of the questions in my mind: What if someone came? What if the police came? My dad would never believe me (story of every son). What if I got robbed? and a lot more. Now that we have learnt about my situation let's go back to the 'lady'. By now, she had boiled in the agony of rejection and showcased the same by throwing her slippers on to the driver. It was a good shot though; just brushed my shoulder and hit him in the face. And right after this happens she leans out of her auto rickshaw and starts to bang ours. I had never seen a woman so feisty and forceful and I'm quite positive, would never want to. By then I was pretty much screwed in the head and wanted to kick his guts out but rather asked him to move faster and expressed my emotions in 3 words, 'kya hai yaar!!(What the hell man)'?

Having found himself in a tight spot he rushed like a fireball and within 20 minutes, I was at my place. I recollected my heartbeat and pulled myself together. I rang the doorbell; only to find my Dad on phone, inquiring about my whereabouts and Mum at her usual emotional self. I just went ahead and hugged her.

When I was telling her that I'm fine; I rather was assuring myself that I was!!!