A Walk To Remember

A waddle for a walk and an empty wallet describe me the best. The other day, I decided to take on the world on a pathetically empty wallet, not my first time. But I didn’t know what I was in for. I had rs. 16. 50 exactly in my pocket. That would more than cover my ride back home. I was happy and content. Then disaster struck. The boy called.

Now a bit of a background on the boy before I plunge into the unfortunate events that unfolded that day. He is a boy of a calm demeanour, with large brown eyes and a voice that makes me melt. He is in constant need of a shave. He can be funny when he doesn’t intend to be. He doesn’t wear a watch, hence never comes on time. If I offered him two identical apples, he wouldn’t know which to choose. This indecisiveness extends to almost every aspect of his life. He seldom takes me seriously. He thinks I’m remarkable.
So this boy called. Only to tell me that he urgently needs some money for his visa preparation. He was falling a few rupees short. To be precise, Rs. 20. He asked me to get the money. Now he’s in a far-flung place called Haji Ali. I know Mumbai as well as I know Macedonia, which isn’t much. So I ask him to come to matunga. This blighter comes, but in a cab, shelling Rs. 80 of the precious Rs. 180 that he has. Now he’s left with Rs. 100. add to it the Rs. 100 that I borrowed from my friend. That about covered his costs. But we were now left with only Es. 16.50 to travel to Haji Ali and then back home in Thane. Wow! I robbed a friend of Rs. 10 to fortify our resources further. So now its Rs. 26.50.
It was a hot day. I had spent the lectures in a stupor. I was looking forward to some fun with this very chap. Then what made me accompany him on this task? Well.. its as simple as this- I won all the thumb fights and most verbal battles but lost I my heart to him. I had pledged my love to this baffled little thing. He had my undying trust. And so on and so forth. In fact the only thing I didn’t do was write a love song and mail it to him on gaudy pink paper. So yeah.
As a mark of my undying love for the object of my affection, I accompanied him to the visa centre. We traveled to mahalakshmi using his smart card… so saved money there. On reaching mahalakshmi we realized we’d have to walk it out to the mahalakshmi temple where the office was as we didn’t have enough money for even a bus let alone a cab. We reasoned “mahalakshmi temple” would not be too far from “mahalakshmi station”. How wrong were we. So with the sun beating down on our poor backs, we started the 2km hike to the temple. My brave little knight offered to carry my bag. I readily rewarded his chivalry- by letting him carry it. Trudging along in the heat, dreaming of cool orange drinks and taxis, getting severely tanned in the process, we reached the dastardly office just in time. He got the work done quickly. These Rs. 200 would assure him a lounge service and a coffee and sandwich on the visa interview day. For this I walked for 40 minutes in the sun on an empty stomach. I congratulate myself on this sacrifice. Love has opened up the tender side in me.
Feeling dizzy with heat, we decided to wait for the bus, which, u guessed right, wouldn’t come. I was about to collapse and didn’t trust him to carry both me AND my bag home. So we decided to walk back. On the return trip we eyed a cucumber vendor. A big juicy cool cucumber for Rs. 5. We calculated. It left us with Rs. 16.50 for our bus trip back home. We needed rs.15. We decided to eat.
Being a student of microbiology, the vendor’s fingernails made me swoon. But hunger prevailed. I had a cucumber for lunch.
I don’t believe we walked the affluent streets of south Mumbai with under Rs. 20 in our pockets! What were we thinking! Never again! It would have been an adventure of sorts if I didn’t think I’d die of fatigue.
On reaching thane, and bickering about the other’s lack of sense, we made it to the bus-stop. In the bus, the conductor fixed me with a glare when I handed him Rs. 14 in modest denominations. I smiled apologetically. We could have been paupers! We managed to save Rs. 2.50 in the end! Kudos to us! I was happy to be home and slept like a log, not before replenishing my wallet for the next day.
What a day! It was meant to be an exciting one. We had made plans which I’m dissuaded from discussing on this blog. Well, we ended up subjecting ourselves to a possible cholera attack by drinking the water off a municipality (ahem) tap on parel station. Such is life..
I wont deny I had fun though. What more do u need when u have the company of your beloved? I would have eaten a thousand unwashed cucumbers for him! Besides I was glad I had proven my devotion to him by accompanying him on this perilous endeavour of obtaining the coffee coupons.
But life’s out to get me good. The very next day, in a quiet meeting, he decided to return my heart to me… with an apology. He’s yet to return the Rs. 100.
I smiled and waved as love hoodwinked me yet again. I hope he gets his visa.