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Content Tip |
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Story
Writing is a good creative outlet and can be used to
inspire others. |
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On The Rails
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I think I have never had
an experience like this before. NEVER have I traveled without a
reservation…. YES this was my first experience (and definitely the last
one too) Oh my! Whenever Seema is around, there is something that’ll
happen for sure… Only that it was something GOOD this time….a little brat
she is [a good one though:) ], is known for all the mischief's possible…
For me, am used to
planning things well in advance, be it, out for a movie or a trip back
home. Everything has to be organized (coz dad gets wild otherwise, hehehe!).
So, I had all planned and set ready for me to go home this week. I even
swapped shifts with a friend so that I can leave office by 9:30 & catch
the train at 11.
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Late that evening Seema
decided to visit her sister in Chennai…as usual a last min decision! We
couldn’t get tickets even through Tatkal. So we decided to take an open
ticket for her and share my seat. Some how, we managed to do this and
walked towards platform# 4 to board the train. We had been starving since
that morning, so we picked up some fruits and water for dinner….We
thought, we could now relax and find a way out or even share the berth and
sleep. Anyways it was time to relax and wait for a wonderful weekend at
home….
There was our train ready
to leave in another 45 minutes, BUT OOOOPPPSS! I panicked at the sight of
it …… don't know how to explain…I think I can say the train looked a
victim of a recent fire accident…..TRUST ME!, am not exaggerating… it
really was….was full of scars as if it was burnt…… I felt butterflies in
my stomach…."Should we travel in this? Isn't this neighborhood a bit
shaky?” I started feeling very insecure and found the same expression on
my friends face…..the train was smelling so bad that we couldn’t even sit
there for 10 mins… .. We looked at the watch and we had 30 mins to go….
There was Seema with her
usual last min idea, “Shall we try with the other train that leaves by
11:45??” (that’s the train we usually board) sounded a better suggestion”
OK, whatever floats your boat." said I. We then grabbed our things and
started walking towards platform#5, with some hope…the train had come in
unusually early so we managed to speak to the TC and convince him for the
seats (had to exaggerate a little too much , but did get our job done
somehow) he said he will help, BUT.. he also said that I cannot travel
with my confirmed ticket as it wasn’t valid here……It was already 11:20 and
the train leaves at 11:45…so leaving Seema with the TC for a seat, I
walked towards the reservation counter to cancel my ticket and to get an
open ticket…Half way through I realized I didn’t carry my ticket with
me…it was in the bag that was with Seema…I had to run here and there and
finally changed the tickets and realised there was just 5 mins for the
train to leave…
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I rushed to the train and
found Seema in the TC’s seat. I was so damn tired and hungry; I was
starving since that morning…We wolfed down the fruits as the train moved
slowly out of the station… We had to sit there for nearly two hours before
we got a berth for ourselves… it was nearly 2:30 in the morning when we
actually went to sleep…
By 6 in the morning, I
heard people talking around and had to wake up…Seema was still sleeping
then… but not for long…A lady in the lower berth gave her a ‘PAT’ and said
“Wake up!!, I need to sit”…hahahah!!!!! Should have seen how irritated she
was … had it been someone she had known, am sure that person would have
been dead meat…
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Anyways we managed to be patient and reach home with a
story for the weekend… My dear friend didn’t have tickets to come back
either, that’s a different story altogether!
Contributing Story Teller : Padma has shared her
personal experience
paddygirl@gmail.com
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