We seldom win this battle, we try every weapon -- Trains, buses, flights! But during the season of festivities, even these artilleries fail to gain victory.
I've also been a part of this battle every year, reaching home from Bangalore has never been easy, but it is the hardest during the Diwali season. This time however I decided to be smart and book the train tickets well in advance, and so my husband and I reserved our tickets for the onward as well as return journey. The whole trip seemed well planned and this time, for the first time in years I smugly stated the advantages of planning in advance to all my fellow small towners. Little did I know the smugness would cost me a great deal!
We were supposed to leave on Thursday. The events that followed
Thursday Morning
7.30 a.m. Ask the maid to not come for the next two weeks in an extremely sleepy state of mind. Say bye to husband, can't fight sleep anymore, go back to sleep. The train anyways leaves at 10.30 in the night, have enough time to finish rest of the packing!
10.30 a.m Receive a frantic call from husband --"Baby I have a feeling our train left at 7.40 in the morning! "What??????Oh shit oh shit! Can't be.. !!
10.31 a.m. Open mail, cross check timings, Oh god! I got the train number wrong! The train left in the morning.. Ooooh Noooo... why god why does this happen to me always!
Call husband-- Yell at him --"Why didn't you check the timings on the tickets! How will we reach now! Why are you so careless!!"
[sob sob sob]
12.35 p.m. Call husband again - "We're going by bus! Book tickets immediately!
01.55 p.m. Call from sister --"I'll try and get you plane tickets, you guys will reach earlier.. Give me sometime"
7.00 p.m. Stuck in a bad traffic jam...Shit! the bus leaves in half an hour! Oh shit! Oh shit!
7.30p.m. We made it phew!
Call from sister --"Don't get on the bus! I'm trying to get you tickets"
7.45 p.m. The bus is here, should we get on? Should we not get on...
7.50 p.m. See the bus go.
12.30 a.m. Call from sister -- "You know I'm trying.. keep your fingers crossed.. I'll let you know tomorrow"
Arrrrgghh! Why didn't I get on the bus! Oh why does this happen to me! How will I get home now! [sob sob sob]
Friday
Extremely sad.. Get a message from sister saying --"I can get you tickets for Monday!"
[more sob sob sob]
Husband feels sorry and we book train tickets for Sunday night.
2.30 p.m. Call from sister-- "You guys have to leave for the airport now! your flight leaves in sometime! I'll message you the manager's name, he'll get you tickets for the flight today"
Quick! get the train tickets cancelled!! We're going by air!! yeeeah!
6.00 p.m. Outside the airport, waiting for the manager! Yeah!! I'm finally going home
6.30 p.m. Where is the bloody manager! I'm hungryyyy
7.00 p.m Still no sign of the manager! Shit the flight leaves at 8.45!
7.40 p.m. Phew! Finally the manager shows up.. says its difficult to get tickets, the flights are overbooked! says he'll try anyways.
8.30 p.m. I'm not going home!
8.40 p.m. In the bus, on the way back home.. chatting to husband -- "You know.. I couldn't go because of you, all this is your fault! Oh why god.. why does this happen to me" [sob sob sob]
If only this saga had ended here... but as I had stated before, it always rains on me!
