Then another dear friend calls up to tell me that she is coming to Pune from Delhi with her 8-month-old daughter, Pari. So I get all enthused to take the trip .. My Amma was dejected, but understood that I had to make the trip. So to cheer her up, I promise to get back on Monday evening to have the Puran-poli.
So I leave my home on Sunday morning 7 am with 2 days stuff packed in my back-pack , Get late for the regular train, yet manage to catch it. Then I reach the class, where it starts a whole 15-min late.. then in the first break we head to a farther restaurant-just for the sake of the delight of a friend's taste buds- and again get late to get back to the class. Again the break is extended for another 15 mins. Then again after the class ends at 12:45, as pre-decided, we are supposed to head to Atria Mall for a demo of Macro lenses at Canon Image lounge. So have lunch, rush rush to Worli.. reach later than the decided time 2 pm :D and again the actual demo starts later .. The delays happening were very unlikely as our Sir normally starts right on time. But it was a different day. I could slip away from there at 4 .. reached the bus stand at 4:15, got a ticket for Shivneri -the last one for the 4:30 bus - and started my travel.
After a good ride and a rickshaw "ride" to my friend's place , when I reached my Best friend's place, I was welcomed by a tired face.. where normally I am welcomed with Open arms, but this trip was different :( After an hour and half, my Delhi friend arrived with her sleeping kid :( .. we had dinner together and then she left for her sister's place.. My best friend-already sleepy- slept in next 10 mins. and me restless with my stomach-ache that had started before I left Dadar, could not sleep for another hour.
Next morning, I woke up at 6:45 without a beckon at the time when my first daily alarm goes off, even though I had silenced it the earlier night. As we got freshened up by 9, I called up my Delhi friend to check if she was up and ready to meet again. But she was sleeping with her kid, so left a message to call up once she wakes up. Another friend from Navi Mumbai, started at 10 to meet this Delhi friend. But we did not any call till 12. My best friend and her husband with other few friends of theirs went to play Holi and I - due to my allergies - was left to surf TV channels. after a set of photo shoots, another set of phone calls and discussions, My best friend, her husband and me were cooking lunch for us three at 2 pm. By the time we had our lunch at 3 pm, the Navi Mumbai friend arrived, Then my dear Delhi friend had arrived. so when I started planning to move around 4 to start for Mumbai, she was asking me to stay.. Finally I could start at 5:30 pm.. So as to get a better reaching time we went to Swargate. But found full crowd, complete chaos, and a constant redirecting Govt. employees and piece of information. All the buses till 8 pm were reserved fully. Another phone call and found someone at the ticket line at Pune station.. So rushed to Pune Station just in time for the bus. 6:55 pm I had started back for Mumbai.
Story doesn't end here, I get down at Vashi Plaza, try to get a NMMT for Dombivli and I get after another 20 min wait. As soon as I settle down in a seat, the bus starts sputtering and making nasty noises.. so its taken to a Bus depot. Another wait for 15 mins and we are transferred to another bus. By the time I reach home, I still have my stomach-ache, its 11:20pm, pretty late for dinner. Yet my parents are waiting for me, putting out the dinner. I eat only the Puran-poli as promised although my stomach says no ..
And now I am blogging? To write about the trip that was so unsatisfying.. All the efforts and trouble to see my friends, who were not so enthused to see me :( .. To express my sorrow on not making it a point to meet my would-be-Bhabhi and making her (& I guess my Brother as well) mad at me.. To let my friends know that I couldn't tell them that it hurt me.. To note that next time my mother doesn't like it, I shouldn't go anywhere..
The moral of the story : Mom's always the best. and make sure your priorities are set right !
