A Desperate Night

I reached Chennai Egmore after a tiresome journey from Trichy at about 9 pm. I ran, to catch a local to the next station to reach Central to see off a close friend. My stomach began to rumble on the way. I walked up and down the platform in vain searching for my friend. I called him up to find that he is still in the waiting room. Poor fellow, had a huge suitcase (The nerd was on his way to US via Delhi for an intern!). We waited for 2 more minutes for his father to arrive.

We made a move towards platform ten. With a war starting in my stomach, I was able to pull the suitcase somehow, for some distance, in addition to my laptop and backpack. I spent the remaining time, roughly fifteen minutes, gossiping, all the while trying to keep a straight face.

Then after the train left I decided enough is enough and went straight to the Saravana Bhavan there. I extended the cashier 50 bucks and asked for a traditional, but satisfying set of chappathis and curd rice. To my astonishment he informed me that I was four bucks short. I was simply too shocked to protest, yeah right like I could. I took the parcel and reached home by 10 45pm, washed my dirty hands and face and sat down for, what I felt at that time, a sumptuous dinner.

Alas, I realised that it was a drop in the ocean. My mother was not at home nor anybody else. In fact, I was the first inhabitant of the place to spend the night after some ten days. As expected, processed provisions in the house were running low. I raided the fridge at around 11 15pm. A bunch of my favourite dry grapes was never going to be enough. Out of sheer desperation I opened the freezer. To my happiness, I found three dabbas along with frozen ice cream spoons. Now my imagination ran wild, considering the summer season and my deep frying in the day train. I quickly dislodged the stuck dabbas from the freezer and opened them one by one.

The first one had dry green peas. So did the second one. And the third one, no surprises there, green peas again. I was mad. I went to my only solace, the Internet. Just when I was chatting with one of my closest friends, I heard a bell ringing. I was not entirely out of the trance, so as was reasonable a Kwality Walls three wheeler flashed across my mind. My dear friends, it was a bicycle with kulfis, surely not the ones you'd like to have at that moment. I would have had mess food for that matter! And so I slept that night thinking this will be one story with no happys endings.....