I have always wondered what to answer when Im asked " Do you miss home? " of course I do, what do they expect me to say ? ' I love this place so much, every street reminds me of Bangalore, every person reminds me of my friends, every new made to order dish ( after repeating NO MEAT, NO FISH ) reminds me of bhel puri!!! who am I kidding? I miss home every single day, who doesnt? Actually its the independence I had and felt cognizant of that I fail to invoke here that makes me feel alien.
The other day while on a local bus, there was this annoying co-passenger who persistently picked all the calls he got and was needlessly loud. People didnt seem to be bothered or irritated, which seriously made me wonder! That was when I missed being in a BMTC, Id yell my head off or frown furiously at any such geek!
There were times when the guy filling petrol into my Kine never seemed to make it to 100, he somehow managed to stop the metre at 99.78 or some odd number. Not that the money bothered me, it was the attitude those guys showed that pushed me to ask them to complete a 100! Then they would make a face, grin and make it 100.some odd again, I didnt ask for extra, just do what I ask for please!
All these old memories that flooded me on that bus surely had some impact. The same day I was happily walking down a street in SLC and at a crossing, pressed the button that would later flash the green light for the pedestrian. It was a busy afternoon and the traffic was pretty heavy and so the lights didnt come on for a long time. This is when a bespectacled lady behind me grew impatient and yelled..." Press the button DUM DUM " was she talking to me? I looked around and realised yes as we were the only two souls there! That was it, couldnt let some moron call me that, did she say that just because I am coloured? wow, this was when the tigress in me pounced and irately yelled back "You DUM DUM a pity your glasses didnt tell you Id pressed it already"
oops!! was that me? I was red with anger, frustration and yes relief!!! must have been a spectacle coz she just backed out, walked away and well, I didnt care anymore it was a new me, a happier and more confident me! Odd that it felt so after such an episode. Nevertheless, life has been great after that and all thanks to that scum bag!
