quatrainman
It all started because I was feeling cramped between the (audibly) flatulent man in front of me and my girlfriend sleeping on my right shoulder. Once again, for amusement, I sneaked a look at my left-hand neighbour.
He was gazing out of the train’s window. I had seen him regularly for a month, and each time, this dreary man looked even more pathetic. It may have been the short stature, the vapid eyes, or the diffident head.
The time had come for a little scheme I had been cooking up for a while. Ensuring Shalini was still asleep, I tapped my man on his shoulder.
“Excuse me. Did you study at JBCC?”
Stiffening, he nodded sluggishly.
“See, I’ve been trying to think where I’ve seen you before. I also used to attend JBCC. 1993 to 1996.”
He looked very surprised at that. A big pause while he stared at me. Then:
“Yes, I was there till 1994. Sorry, I don’t remember you. Your good name?”
“Rajeev. You’re Vidyadhar?”
His eyebrows hit the top of the dome. “You have a good memory, Mr. Rajeev”.
I smiled. “No, I think you must have been a popular man in college”. Cruel, very cruel.
Despite his evident discomfort, I pursued matters further.
“Didn’t your batch have a reunion recently?”
He nodded.
“Oh, fantastic. I remember reading about this incident involving a chap from your batch during the reunion. Some bugger was tricked into confessing he once was a kleptomaniac! What happened there?”
I suppose, looking at that fast accumulating pile of sweat, I should have felt some regret for what I was doing to him. But I had achieved a brief yet total distraction from the fetid worries of the world and the domestic hodgepodge of my life.
Breaking the silence, I said: “Sorry. Was that guy a friend of yours?”
He shook his head.
“Mr. Vidyadhar, this world is a strange place. Who knows who the guy sitting next to you will turn out to be?”
He nodded.
“By the way, I have a little hobby. I try to guess what people do. Do you mind?”
I forged ahead, before a reply. By now, even the windtalker in front of me was listening keenly. Shalini stirred but seemed to stay asleep.
“You travel a lot. Odd hours. Live in Bhandup. You like Rafi. Hometown Agra.”
He looked at me in utter surprise. I burst out laughing and held out a book.
“I’m sorry sir. I have been pulling your leg. You see, you dropped your daily journal two weeks ago. You will forgive me my jokes, won’t you?”
No reply.
“Just curious. What is it that you really do?”
Surprisingly assertive, he said: “I run a detective agency.”
“Cool! Better than what I do.”
“Not only is it better, but unlike you, I don’t cheat on my wife and kids without telling either of my girlfriends. Ms. Shalini, right?”
I was too scared to turn and look into her wide awake eyes.
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He was gazing out of the train’s window. I had seen him regularly for a month, and each time, this dreary man looked even more pathetic. It may have been the short stature, the vapid eyes, or the diffident head.
The time had come for a little scheme I had been cooking up for a while. Ensuring Shalini was still asleep, I tapped my man on his shoulder.
“Excuse me. Did you study at JBCC?”
Stiffening, he nodded sluggishly.
“See, I’ve been trying to think where I’ve seen you before. I also used to attend JBCC. 1993 to 1996.”
He looked very surprised at that. A big pause while he stared at me. Then:
“Yes, I was there till 1994. Sorry, I don’t remember you. Your good name?”
“Rajeev. You’re Vidyadhar?”
His eyebrows hit the top of the dome. “You have a good memory, Mr. Rajeev”.
I smiled. “No, I think you must have been a popular man in college”. Cruel, very cruel.
Despite his evident discomfort, I pursued matters further.
“Didn’t your batch have a reunion recently?”
He nodded.
“Oh, fantastic. I remember reading about this incident involving a chap from your batch during the reunion. Some bugger was tricked into confessing he once was a kleptomaniac! What happened there?”
I suppose, looking at that fast accumulating pile of sweat, I should have felt some regret for what I was doing to him. But I had achieved a brief yet total distraction from the fetid worries of the world and the domestic hodgepodge of my life.
Breaking the silence, I said: “Sorry. Was that guy a friend of yours?”
He shook his head.
“Mr. Vidyadhar, this world is a strange place. Who knows who the guy sitting next to you will turn out to be?”
He nodded.
“By the way, I have a little hobby. I try to guess what people do. Do you mind?”
I forged ahead, before a reply. By now, even the windtalker in front of me was listening keenly. Shalini stirred but seemed to stay asleep.
“You travel a lot. Odd hours. Live in Bhandup. You like Rafi. Hometown Agra.”
He looked at me in utter surprise. I burst out laughing and held out a book.
“I’m sorry sir. I have been pulling your leg. You see, you dropped your daily journal two weeks ago. You will forgive me my jokes, won’t you?”
No reply.
“Just curious. What is it that you really do?”
Surprisingly assertive, he said: “I run a detective agency.”
“Cool! Better than what I do.”
“Not only is it better, but unlike you, I don’t cheat on my wife and kids without telling either of my girlfriends. Ms. Shalini, right?”
I was too scared to turn and look into her wide awake eyes.
Poll Rate this entry