Disclaimer: All characters and events in the story- even those based on real people- are entirely fictional.
“You’re joking, right? Tell me that you are!” I said, sitting cross-legged on the bed, smoothening the creases on my bed sheet instinctively. I tend to do that – call it eccentricity, an obsessive compulsive disorder – whatever it is, I seem to suffer from an extreme case of it. I’ve been like this ever since I can remember and I like it this way. For some reason, a clean cupboard or a neatly arranged table turns me on more than Megan Fox in a chocolate tub.
Anyway, he carried on, paying little heed to what I just said, as if I didn’t exist. Story of my life. More often than not, nobody actually cares to listen to what I have to say. If they somehow do, they almost inadvertently laugh- be it talking about the global economic downturn, the fate of koala bears or Indian politics, like I’m Charlie Chaplin on crack. Ok, I’ve to admit even I can’t keep a straight face talking about Indian politics, but still.
“It’s 3:30 PM right now. We can make it.” He said calmly.
“Wait a second. Are you serious? Are you out of your mind?” I almost shouted out. “Yes, for the first question. As for the second part, let’s break it down” said the great one. I hated it when he said “Let’s break it down”. It always got us into trouble. Always.
I think a little character introduction is required here. “I” am Aatish, your narrator,friend, guide, philosopher and God for the rest of the story. Ok, maybe not the last bit. We all know there’s only One God and as he himself said, which can be loosely translated as, “Once I make a commitment, then I don’t even listen to myself.” and later went on to take off his shirt in a flash.
“He” is Devansh.
Well, if you’re looking for more character details, you’ll find yourself being a little disappointed. Thing is that there is nothing extraordinary about either one of us to point out. We were smart, hardworking and intelligent guys, on our way to a bright future, when it struck us and brought us down to the ground. Honestly, we’re both still trying to come to terms with it, five years and counting. Yes, you guessed it right, we went to Kota. That vast melting pot of talent, known for producing future engineers and doctors on an assembly line. Getting more into this would require another post of its own, so I’m gonna leave it for another day.
As you might have figured by now, I’m not a very good writer. My English teacher in third grade gave me a “Somewhat satisfactory, but a lot of scope for development” in my term paper, which has been a benchmark of sorts for me till date. I tend to get completely off-track every now and then. In that case, please feel free to skip lines, sometimes even paragraphs altogether and continue reading.
“So, let me get this straight. You want us to take an almost 250 Km ride from Kota to Jaipur, on one of the most accident-prone and ill-managed highways in the country with fading light, on a bike? For what joy?!” I asked, exasperated.
He looked me in the eye and said with utmost seriousness “Dude, I wanna have dinner at McDonalds.”
How could I argue with that?
“You’re joking, right? Tell me that you are!” I said, sitting cross-legged on the bed, smoothening the creases on my bed sheet instinctively. I tend to do that – call it eccentricity, an obsessive compulsive disorder – whatever it is, I seem to suffer from an extreme case of it. I’ve been like this ever since I can remember and I like it this way. For some reason, a clean cupboard or a neatly arranged table turns me on more than Megan Fox in a chocolate tub.
Anyway, he carried on, paying little heed to what I just said, as if I didn’t exist. Story of my life. More often than not, nobody actually cares to listen to what I have to say. If they somehow do, they almost inadvertently laugh- be it talking about the global economic downturn, the fate of koala bears or Indian politics, like I’m Charlie Chaplin on crack. Ok, I’ve to admit even I can’t keep a straight face talking about Indian politics, but still.
“It’s 3:30 PM right now. We can make it.” He said calmly.
“Wait a second. Are you serious? Are you out of your mind?” I almost shouted out. “Yes, for the first question. As for the second part, let’s break it down” said the great one. I hated it when he said “Let’s break it down”. It always got us into trouble. Always.
I think a little character introduction is required here. “I” am Aatish, your narrator,friend, guide, philosopher and God for the rest of the story. Ok, maybe not the last bit. We all know there’s only One God and as he himself said, which can be loosely translated as, “Once I make a commitment, then I don’t even listen to myself.” and later went on to take off his shirt in a flash.
“He” is Devansh.
Well, if you’re looking for more character details, you’ll find yourself being a little disappointed. Thing is that there is nothing extraordinary about either one of us to point out. We were smart, hardworking and intelligent guys, on our way to a bright future, when it struck us and brought us down to the ground. Honestly, we’re both still trying to come to terms with it, five years and counting. Yes, you guessed it right, we went to Kota. That vast melting pot of talent, known for producing future engineers and doctors on an assembly line. Getting more into this would require another post of its own, so I’m gonna leave it for another day.
As you might have figured by now, I’m not a very good writer. My English teacher in third grade gave me a “Somewhat satisfactory, but a lot of scope for development” in my term paper, which has been a benchmark of sorts for me till date. I tend to get completely off-track every now and then. In that case, please feel free to skip lines, sometimes even paragraphs altogether and continue reading.
“So, let me get this straight. You want us to take an almost 250 Km ride from Kota to Jaipur, on one of the most accident-prone and ill-managed highways in the country with fading light, on a bike? For what joy?!” I asked, exasperated.
He looked me in the eye and said with utmost seriousness “Dude, I wanna have dinner at McDonalds.”
How could I argue with that?
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