Back to square nine
When you have a memorable time with guests, their departure brings a sense of emptiness, a sense of being left all alone.
I returned home after a hectic send-off. Closed the door. The home was upside-down with articles I had left in a helter-skelter. I felt everything at home motionlessly screaming at me - ‘Here you are, lonely again.’
I took a deep breath & hummed the lines to myself:
Unko ruqsat toh kiya lekin, mujhe malum na tha.
Saara ghar le gaya, ghar chhodke jaanewala.
The echo of my own voice sounded haunting. I dipped my hand in my wallet & stared at the piece of paper again. I smiled in disbelief.
How could it happen to me?! How could it happen this day?!
* * * * *
Dhanadhan daud
Rams had come to visit for the weekend-cum-new year’s eve. After having a good time celebrating the new year, meeting old friends, shopping & dining together in Bangalore, I had to drop him back at the railway station. It was a hurried attempt when my friend discovered that the train would depart an hour earlier than his ‘assumed’ time. Arrrrgh…
We somehow made it to the station, panting. He thanked me for the company & hospitality. We shook hands, hugged each other & wished each other a happy new year.
While waving him a goodbye, I realized how the last three days had gone past in a jiffy. I was recollecting all the chats, giggles, updates on other common friends etc…
The ordeal
I turned towards the exit & noticed the Ticket Collector standing at the gate. Being in a hurry, I had forgotten to buy a platform ticket! The angel in me made me feel guilty. The demon in me goaded me saying ‘Big deal. How long are they going to patrol the exit points?’ The better half convinced me. I found a place to sit & patiently waited for the TC to take a break.
For a moment, I was imagining my embarrassment in public, being caught and branded as a ticket-less traveler. A "TICKET-LESS TRAVELER" ?! I frequently looked at the TT. He didn’t seem to budge.
Tea tasted bitter. My brand new smartphone ditched me with a low battery. The thought of buying a newspaper and read made me go into an instant depression. On the screen, a beautiful lady cheered me by repeatedly smiling at me, asking me to buy a soap that could change my life. I wished she could change the prevailing moment for me. Another advertisement encouraged me to be a good citizen & buy platform tickets:
“Ticketless travelling is a serious offense. A fine of Rs.300/- with fare is applicable.”
I had to instantly change my focal length & look for the TC again. By then, he had hooked an erring citizen & was violently scribbling his challan book delivering words of wisdom. I got up & started wandering in pursuit of other exit points. I found one. While getting down the stairs I was conscious of every step. I said to myself, ‘Deeps, Just a few more steps & you are a free bird.”
At a turning point, I was caught by a TC whom I couldn’t notice. Unfortunately, he stood at a strategic place no one could have ever anticipated. I had reached a point of no return. 
I tried to explain my reason for not possessing a ticket. He gave me a dirty look, interrupted me and said “Every single culprit gives me the same story.” He pointed at an old, battered board. It reflected what I had seen a few minutes ago on the screen.
I was asked to stand aside. I gulped. After the crowd lessened, he turned to me & wrote a challan of Rs.350/-. What would a man with a good bad luck & a bad good luck do? I cursed my fate the nth time & had let my wallet go thin.
While driving home, I was imagining what all I could have done with those 350 bucks. I realized, I could have shown an edited SMS/email from IRCTC to prove I was not a ticket-less traveler. Instead of looking at the lady selling soaps, I should have got a ticket booked online for a shortest possible distance. Nevertheless, the postmortem of ifs & buts don’t matter once you got stung.
* * * * *
The realization
For the money I paid as fine, I could have bought all the platform tickets I ever needed in my life. I had to append it to my long list of new year's resolution to not forget buying platform tickets hereafter.
After staring at the piece of paper for a long time, I recollected the TC wishing me a happy new year while handing me the challan. Sometimes life plays a joke at you & you can’t even laugh at it. 
It indeed was a memorable kick-start to a new year ahead…
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