A while afterovercome by sleep
I forgot.
Fitfully awake, later,
as I lay,
the thought returned:
Perhaps some stranger still sat by the door
this lonely night
'What should it be,
but an idle dream,'
- I said to myself
In Tagore's words I make for my escape. I, too, was overcome by sleep; I, too, forgot; I, too, woke up to a dream (or rather a psychological nightmare); and I too forgot about the stranger at the door - which was myself - who had to catch the morning flight at 0630 but under the wrong egoistical I-wont-confirm-it assumption found himself floudering at 0600. In panic I oscillated between the kitchen where my morning roast was rising above and beyond the vessel, and my parlour which serves my bastion for all solitudes and strifes. Holding the coffee cup in hand, then promptly putting it back on the table, and in a leap of faith leaping for my cash, and leaving for the Airport, at 0610. After an hour's worth of embarrassment, both at the ticket counter, and at being scammed Rs. 10 by the AutoRick driver who promised to wait for me just around the corner, I was back home with a ticket for the 0930 in hand - an additional damage of 3300. But it's a futile exercise to push the guilt in, since I suspect our heads only reflect our closest circles, which start with our parents and family. Being of a home where air travel was an amusement, or a luxury, or an emergency measure, but never a part of the regular lifestyle, we weren't made air-travel-wise, or conditioned to the mock situations of missing our flight. Air travel still remains a complete fantasy, as is the easy money that we earn, and the foriegn travel opportunities we get working in our private setups. Coming from a background of majorly-govt-sector-employed family with a lets-not-abuse-sarkari-resources attitude, I can deduct that going private was going behind closed doors to a lifestyle unknown of - EVERYTHING PASSES. I could be sure that I would see more reprimanding upon missing my 3rd Class Sleeper (Rs.150) on the 248km Nainital-bound Ranikhet Express, than an incident such as today's. Time has been more valued on our side, money is only seen as an enabler - if you can, dole it out.
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