THE BUS STOP

I wake up to a mess. My apartment is a mess. I am a whole new definition of mess. I look around and then at myself in the mirror. Hi I am Avanish and I am in last night’s clothes. Yes! I remember. I was out with friends last night. Christmas party it was… and what a party. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and returned home around 2am. Neither did I have the strength nor am I a neat freak, so I collapsed on the bed as such. I hadn’t cleaned my apartment the day before thinking that I will have ample time on Sunday, and then Sunday was spent in merry making and I cou…. Wait a minute! If yesterday was Sunday, today is definitely MONDAY!!! Bloody Monday! Ohhh shit! I take a look at my clock, it’s already 8 and I am supposed to be at work by 9.

I calculated in my mind as I bushed and showered at the same time. It takes me 40 minutes to reach my office at Goregaon from Bandra. I can make it, provided I catch my regular bus at 8:10am. So I start getting ready at hyper speed. Provided a frame to watch me get ready, it would most definitely seem like some cartoon movie where the characters can be ready in a matter of milliseconds. But I am no slacker; it took me exactly 5minutes and 35seconds to get ready. Yeah, you can question my breath, but it’s not like some chick will kiss me in the lift… so I can put some gum into my mouth later. And God bless the guy who invented deo spray.

I run out of my apartment when my house owner catches me. Hey! I pay my rent, alright! She is old and likes to chat, but I am really really late today. By the time I reach my bus stop, I take a look at my watch, it’s still 2minute to 8:10. I take a breath. When the bus doesn’t come after 2 minutes, I panic. Perhaps it’s late, and that meant I might reach office in nick of time or I might be late. I brace myself for the worst. And I see standing near me is a couple with two kids.

The man is tall, muscular and tanned. His wife, equally tall and slim and is draped in a cotton sari. Their two kids, one is probably 6(boy) another 3 or 2(girl) years of age. By their looks, one can say that the parents are probably laborers or some sort of working class. The woman is holding the younger kid while the elder one is playing while his father keeps an eye on him.

It reminds me of my childhood, where I and my sister used to play in our lawn while mom kept an eye on us. I haven’t talked to mom in a while. Sigh! But I am busy. Anyway, I lose my train of thoughts when I see my bus approaching. When people start boarding the bus, the elder kid starts to cry, saying that he wants to go in that bus, while his father holds him back. I wait for them to board, I mean, I heard them say that they are too going in same direction as me, but they don’t. Even though I am getting late, but I skip the bus. The kid’s tears hold me back. Something tells me that I should wait and see what happens.

After the bus leaves, the parents try to console the child, but he is adamant. He has to go in a bus like the one left just now. And his tears do not stop. The parents look at one another and try to console the child again; they tell him about a monster that resides in buses like that and various other things to scare him. But the boy says innocently, “Baba, I want to go in the bus with closed windows this time”

And then I realize. He is talking about the air conditioned bus. Another bus arrives in 10 minutes. I board it first this time, unsure whether they are coming or not. And I take a seat at the back. Just as the bus is about to leave, the family boards it. I wish I had words to explain the excitement on the boy’s face. His face shines, the tears he had shed have dried and the most beautiful smile touches his face. He looks around as if he has entered a parallel universe. I keep looking at him and I am amazed at how little things can bring so much happiness when one is a kid.

When the conductor comes to collect tickets, the man asks how much he should pay. “240 bucks, 60 each.” the conductor replies.

“Sir, isn’t there half ticket for children?”

“This is not a local bus!”

At that moment it strikes me as why they hadn’t boarded the last bus. Money! The man must be earning around 250-300 bucks a day. He can’t spend all of that on a bus journey! I thought I will pay for them. But then I stop myself. I do not want to insult him by paying for him. Every man has self respect. I wait to see what happens.

The man says to his son, “beta! You have had your ride. Let’s get down now.”

“But baba, I want to go all the way”

The husband and wife discuss for a bit and then the man says to his wife, “what do we do?”

The woman keeps her hand on his and says, “I and choti will get down on the next stop and take the local bus. You stay with our son and we will meet you at our stop. If you reach first, wait near the tea stall. If I reach first, I will be waiting there”

And the mother and her daughter get down at the next stop, while the man pays for himself and his son and take a seat near me. His son sits on his lap and flashes a broad smile at me and then gets busy in looking at every other face happily.

My stop arrives in 20minutes and I leave the bus with two important lessons. First, I learn the value of money. For every man who wastes thousands on useless things, there is a man who cannot afford a bus ride for his family. And the second, that every parents give all they have to keep their child happy. They do anything and everything they can.

I take out my phone, and call mom. Office can wait.