Plan A had happened a month back. Flying to Bengaluru on 8th November at 6:30. Pure bliss. Tweety birds all around, all day long around my senses. Nothing could be better.
So after a month’s dreadful wait, 8th of November arrives. I work till about 4 in the evening. Reach Kolkata airport with my bag and a heartful of excitement at about 5:15. I pay the cabbie and walk to the Spicejet. The lady looks at me. I smile back, ticket in hand, and just then…here is how the film starts turning from a happy movie to a horror flick! And it was time for Plan B
“Hi, is the flight to Bangalore at 6:30 on time?”, I say! The lady asks for my ticket, has a glance, “Sorry Sir! We don’t have a flight in the evening.” And I am like, “Hello? What? No evening flight to Bangalore?”
And just then, the gleam of common sense, the white light of knowledge, the god of common sense surfaces through, the devil of delight smirks. My friends, the e-ticket I booked from a travel website had no mention of AM or PM. And the lovie-dovie me, suddenly feels like being on top of a grey cloud, peering down and seeing the sky crash from atop.
Hell! The frantic me, then ran from every possible airlines may-i-help-you service window available at Kolkata airport. The Indian airlines flight at 8 to Bangalore, that same evening, had been cancelled. Wow! Isnt that amazing? How nice! Indian airlines are still living up to their proud benchmark. Well to hell! The next window…JET!
Awesome! Jet Airways, said they had a flight soon, and I have to book RIGHT NOW! Oh God! For that moment I believed, Santa Claus isn’t a myth! “Joy Ma Joy Ma” chants still work! The specy bong across the window meant serious business. “Sir you have to book fast.” Why not! When you have someone who has missed a flight by a blooming tweleve hours! But lo behold! My girlfriend’s not picking her phone. “Hello, hello hello…is there anybody in there?”
Quick! Think! Decide fast! “Money cant buy you love”, so said The late-great Beatles. But it surely can buy you a ticket onboard Jet airways, flying to Bangalore in the next twenty minutes. Only two things to think about….the Jet flight at that fag of the moment costed just as much as Rs. Sixteen Thousand seven hundred and forty. ONLY!
My mobile was dialing my girlfriend’s number as if there was no tomorrow. Call after call after call after call after calls were happening. Gasping for breath, gasping for a flight to Bangalore. Gelaam re! Shob shesh! Helter skelter! But no! Enough of tension and thinking this & that! I take out my wallet! Flash my HDFC credit card! And the hand is taking the card inside through ths slot! And just then the specy Bong Jet executive suddenly turns martian and then he spoketh thy words sweet Satan, “Sorry Sir! We have closed the booking!”
“What? But you just said that you can give me the ticket worth Rs. Sixteen freaking grand?”, I said, like a Bengal tiger burning light! “Ye sir, but boarding has already started.”
Oh hell! Oh Rama oh sita oh kali oh durga oh ganesdha oh saraswati oh lakshmi oh…..etc etc etc etc, have mercy man! The I dash yet again. Now to the Indigo window! They too bomb me bad with their ‘Sorry Sirs”.
The Spicejet lady-in-white-and-red then suggested, “Sir why don’t you catch our morning flight tomorrow? Its only going to cost you Rs. 3124
And…just at that moment, the miraculous happened! Maybe you guessed it right, but I just can’t keep it to myself…..holy cow! My girlfriend picks up the phone. I narrate the last fifteen minutes of disaster, then a golden silence, and then……..with drum rolls, crashing guitars, the loudest cymbals ever, like the best heavy metal band ever, my girlfriend erupts and rocks the shit out of my mind.
And I let common sense prevail and tell my girlfriend-fiance, “Baby let me book tix for tomorrows morning flight”. Heck, Tirtha, you buffoon, don’t try to buttercup. The ‘go-to-hells’, the ‘I-hate-yous’ are exchanged from Bangalore to Kolkata, over Voda-frikkin-fone, with love!!!
The long and winding you are a fool-you are so stupid conversation with my lady love, who was at home bags packed, ready to catch me with her best smile at the Bangalore airport. My poor baby, was she blue, was she angry, was she pissed, was she spiteful. And like HOW!
So all this shit happens! And for all of you who have read till here, don’t we all know it by now in all our own lives? Shit does happen my friends!
So the next morning I am all ready, cab booked the night before, so at dawn, with no bong joggers around, no jams on the road, I reach the airport, and am aboard the Spicejet flight.
Two hours fifteen minutes of the pangs of the night before’s mayhem. And touchdown! I reach Bangalore. Finally! Uff! I collect my bag, my girlfriend calls me. Life’s good! Santa lives. Love is life, and all that jazz…….like a child who is running towards a chocolate factory I head out to embrace the fresh air I missed for so long. My baby, my sweetness, my lady love, she is backpacked and waiting there for me.
The subtly cool air, the sweet sunshine, my girlfriend’s smile, heaven was right here. Its right here. The customary rushing towards her, face smitten with smiles bit happens. Hugs! Where have you been for so longs. Then we take an auto to our hotel and then started a four day party that was till date the best time I had in my life……
And for all those who have reached till here…..the sequel piece will be out soon! And my friends that will be a peak inside at Pecos, the most rocking place in Bangalore that my girlfriend took me to. Thanks a lot Bebu. You know and so does God that I loved Pecos so much!
So till then, take care, be good! The special on 'Pecos' is arriving soon!
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3 comments:
woao...what can i say....as brilliant as ever...your write up was so ful of subtle humor as ever and what can i say but...you're the best, whatever it comes to :).....and don't know about others but yes am surely gonna wait for the peecos episode ;)....till then cheerios!!!
almost felt as if i was chasing that elusive flight to Bangalore! have always liked your style of writing and this piece reminds me why :-)
this is the first time i read ur writing and i cud feel the tension as if i was the one who missed my flight. i will surely wait for the sequel...pls write it soon......
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