Monday, July 27, 2009

The curved line moves again.I

i sat on my 'settee' and dreamt. i sat on my settee and planned. i boarded a flight and alighted on the land of my dreams

However, it was not as smooth as i had planned. And how could it be! Remember the curved line?

"Madam, I am at Rajdoot Hotel, please give me directions to your house." That was the driver from Easy Cab calling me at 7:40 p.m.. My flight was at 12:05 a.m, i had called the cab at 8:00 p.m., four hours in advance. I gave the directions. I was not unduly perturbed.

7:50 p.m., and no car had arrived. i called the driver. "If you were at Rajdoot, it should'nt have taken you more than five minutes to reach my home. Where are you now?" "Madam there is so much traffic, I have reached the church now."

8:00 p.m., and still no cab. "The church is just a few yards from my house. Where ARE you." "Madam there was some problem with the car. I am coming."

Finally he arrives at 8:15. My landlord loads my luggage! i see new respect in his eyes. i am going abroad!

We start. We reach Nizammuddin. "Bhaiyya, why is the AC blowing hot air? is there something wrong?" i ask. "Let me see Madam." He stops the car. He goes out and peeps into the engine and comes back to collect two bottles of water. In the next 10 minutes he pours water.

It is 8:30 p.m. when we start again. We reach Pant Nagar. He breaks the news. "Madam I tried to cool the engine but it has not worked. The car will not go much further. You have to make other arrangements."

i explode, i scream. However, soon i realise that he is just a driver working in a faceless enterprise running a fleet of cars which invites its customers to repose total faith in them. i vow never to call for an Easy Cab when i have a flight to catch. i call Easy Cab again and ask for replacement as i do not know whether i can locate a taxi stand. It is not easy to get myself heard. i am caller No. 10 in line even though i have already booked a cab and am about to miss my fligth!

Finally i manage to call for another car and explain the urgency. The car arrives at 9:00 p.m. My new driver is sympathetic. We race as i decide that its either do or die for me now. How can i come back and tell all the people who already know, that i could not even catch my flight!.
I reach Indira Gandhi International Airport at 9:20 p.m.!


to be continued.....

6 comments:

KD said...

HAH!!! Thats all you write. The next post will be after how many months?

KD said...

You reached the airport in 20 mins? The car was flying or what?

ambrosia said...

Ok, now I know what exactly happened on THAT day! (raised eyebrows)

KD said...

Ambrosia, there is more to what happened that day. Just wait...it will trickle out slowly it seems

Mukta Dutta said...

KD, Ambroisa, just you wait.....KD maybe you could send me some more TIGER to help me get into the mood again...?

Urmila said...

you are right, you can only have a bumpy ride on a curved line. I am not surprised if the car also developed a curvatious attitude and refused to budge.but why so nervous, you still had enough time. lastly, why you took so long to open your pitara.