a strange meeting....

yup,

So today a very strange thing happened to me. For the first time in weeks I was free in the evening (well, that’s not where the strange thing ends.. :P) I go for classes these days in a summer internship program by a robotics company and believe me, it’s an awesome experience to be there and attend lectures by mind blowing individuals like Shallabh sir and Toshi sir.

But today I returned early at noon, had a nap till evening. And since I was feeling a little stressed , I decided to go out for a walk. Nobody was at home at the time, so I took the keys and went down the road. I hadn't decided on where I wanted to go. I just kept walking to wherever the boulevard(..of broken dreams) was taking me . And suddenly realized, that I have reached the tilak nagar market. Market..Market!!!...Market?!!?, I started thinking, what was that I need to buy.

Then it came to me that a data cable and getting my mobile repaired was in my top priority listings for that weekend. And that’s how I landed up at the District Center. After reaching there I started shuffling through the shops for a data cable. The prices were sky high and certainly out of question considering my pocket size And that’s where the story begins.

So I decided just to take a veg surprise from McDonald as a souvenir. I bought one and since it was really crowded inside (I hate crowded places), I went out and sat on one of the railings enclosing the little green patches of grass scattered all over the main floor. Then suddenly out of the dynamic silhouette of twilight(""I can’t believe i just said that"""), a figure sat beside me and startled me by saying, “hey i need your help”!!

His first glance was that of a smart young man, with glasses on, unshaven for sure, middle class by his outfit and with a smelling air around him. Apart from that, he looked studious, like a book worm. He was talking in English anyways. Nonetheless, considering the status of GAY hood being legalized recently, i raised my eyebrows(”no thanx”)

“I need your help. I haven’t had anything to eat since morning. Can you help me”. I looked down at my hamburger and the two intersecting semicircle cuts, which were the two bites residing in my belly at present. He can’t be a beggar. He wasn’t in rags at least. But when I looked carefully, he wasn’t well dressed at all. As an instinct, I replied. “O really!!!even I haven’t eaten anything and this is the first edible object in my possession since morning”.

He looked at me with indifference. “Oh it’s fine then. Actually, I am a jobless person. I wander around here all day looking for some pity in the hearts of men” ("as if women don’t have hearts")

“But you look so fine. What are your qualifications...”

“Oh well, I have done my matriculation”

The last word looked familiar, but I still asked ” ….as in 12th,…right??”

“no, it’s 10th….it sounds bad when you say 10th…” and then he started leering.

yah, and look at me!!!, why the hell am I sitting here. I like company. But why on earth am I sitting with this strange jobless and homeless(probably), english speaking freako at the DISTRICT CENTRE……haaannnnnnnn????

“But you speak good english”, I wondered.

“yeah, that’s why I tried at BPO’s for a call center job. But was rejected. “

“What happened after 10th, why did not continue??”

“I had to leave for surat due to my grand father’s death, I was afraid I would loose my share of his property and that’s what happened, my sister took all that,.. although she has given me a small share but wants me to stand on my own, i mean i am not totally jobless, I was offered to do a watchman nearby, at 1500 a month ”

Sounds good enough…. “but better something than nothing”, I said.

“O common… just think, if you add 40 bucks for your food per day, it comes to 1200, and then there are clothes, hair oil, soap and a freaking place to live”

O yes, that’s an insight. I looked again at my hamburger waiting to be enjoyed…..that yyuuuummmm…. hamburger i had to make a decision, I started accumulating the parameters for both sides

1. ‘give him the damn hamburger’, this guy needs it, help the poor...dont you remember your morals, haven't your parents taught you anything??!...

2. shut the fuck up, i am hungry and that’s my freakin pocket money...man, आज वैसे ही mood ख़राब है!!...havent even bought a data cable, इतना सारा काम pending h..!!, ऊपर से ये जनाब पता नहीं कहाँ से टपक पड़े हैं!!

I suddenly gave him the hamburger considering that there were far too many parameters to process. Ok... done…..happy now??

“No, i can’t take it. You just said it is your first meal of the day”, he startled me for the second time.

“It’s Ok, i can buy myself another one”.. I managed.

He took the hamburger keeping it halfway between us and stared. (”what now!!!….do you want me to strip naked …..in front of all theseee freaking hooottiiieessss ……haaaaaaannnn?????”) “what now??”, i was getting frustrated by now.

“U take it back”, he said.

“No. I wont be able to eat it, now that I have met you”. Works both ways 'i pity you' and 'you stink man!!'.

“why…… am i so ugly” (”was that supposed to be ffuuunnnyyy….haaannnnn???”)

“blah blah blah, no you eat it I’ll buy another one for me”. Finally done.

“So what do you do by the way” i wondered at the question thrown at me, which startled for the third time. I started searching for an alias that could sound funny. then realized that the thing I do in reality is my best bet to sound funny

“I work for a robotics company and make robots”…haah…isn’t that funny.

He nodded and started thinking.

” I have also decided that, I am gonna start a business”….(”hah…now that’s funny”)

“But wouldn’t that require a lot of capital”.

“no….consider this….i start three पनवाडी shops” (that sell ciggrates, pan and mouth fresheners…blah, blah, blah)

“k.....!!!!!!!!!!!”

“can you imagine how मच a पान वाला over there manages a turnover of….”

“what…”

“1500 a day”

“o my god”

“yeah, just imagine three shops like that and you just sit and earn” (”and we are the motherf**kers studying our arse out all the time”)

“O, I couldn’t have imagined that”, I couldn't have ....seriously!!!!

“yeah you know what…. i closed my brother in a rehab” (”what….what…what….???????”)

“my brother was into drugs, i took him into a rehab” I stared at him now….he could be a drugger too….but this is for the first time that I am confronting a drug-addict or at least a brother of one. I had never imagined there was a rehabilitation center here at Delhi….suddenly an episode of ‘the big bang theory’ flashed in front of me and i saw that small skinny boy who had impersonated the drug addict in the comic episode.

“wow, so you actually have rehabs in delhi”, I was accttuuaalllyyy looking at him now

“yup it’s around sec 24, 25, rohini”

“So do you know how they treat them at rehabs”, I pondered.

“yup, when i used to go to meet my brother, he told me how it was” I was gaining a lot of interest by now. “they lock around 50 people in a large room, equipped with sanitary facilities and a kitchen and a hall ….you get up at 6, get ready by 7:30, and then you have yoga classes, then breakfast and then sessions “

“what kind of sessions”

“I dont know that much, but they try to cure them, they are not allowed to leave, it’s like a prison”

“oh my god” I watched him as he took his first bite eating. And I don't know what happened to me, but i got up and started to leave. “Ok brother, I gotta go to back to work now....boss is gonna be furious.. you enjoy the hamburger” he just gave a slight nod by tilting his head to his right.

He had the same indifferent stare. I turned around and started walking. It seemed odd to me. Our conversation was just getting better but subconsciously, my brain was telling me that “dude, something’s wrong here, m sure you din't wanna continue”!!

It could have been a prank!!!!

A bet between two college mates “100 bucks, if you could make that guy, give his hamburger to you” …sort of ...

It also could have been genuine. you know.... in a city like Delhi, anything is possible.

Whatever it was, it was one hell of an evening. A good detour from the monotone that sometimes clouds your life.