Unpredictability rules!

I’ve given her the best possible education... What more could I do? I pay her music master fifteen rupees a month, her school fees amount to fifteen rupees and I pay ten rupees for her school bus.....

‘Yes’ he replied, ‘by securing endless adjournments.  Life today is most expensive.

Well, those lines were stolen from a book I was reading last night, the Man-Eater of Malgudi, written by R.K Narayan.  I’ll get back to this as to why I started off my post with these stolen lines.

 The START:

 I did have an eventful weekend (That’s what I would say!)

Sunday morning: I woke up at 10 am and decided to visit the church as I had nothing much to do. I started home with 150 Rs in my wallet (that’s enough to survive) and with two debit cards. After my visit to the church I decided to go on a shopping spree as I was still left with some money in my card. ‘Some’ over here meant exactly 1289 Rs only! Well, good enough to think of street shopping in Brigade road. After my visit to the church I was left with 100 Rs Cash (out of 150Rs) . I boarded an auto and headed towards brigade road, where I lost 30Rs as auto charges.(usually it would cost 20, but the one I travelled in ,seemed to have a tampered meter) One thing I have learnt , never argue with the auto drivers, they might kidnap you. So if you see a meter spinning like those hamster on wheels, don’t argue, just shut your mouth and wait till you get off the auto. So I did the latter one (minus argument) . I was left with 70 Rs. After I picked up the take aways from Mc Donald’s the cash came down to approximately 20 bucks.

             So I decided to begin my shopping. I was doing numbers in my head…should I buy a dress or the stiletto heel? Or could I buy both. That’s the best part about being a girl. It’s easier to get stuff for your budget. We don’t have to compromise on getting one thing and sacrificing the other.

            I avoided the big brands and designer show rooms altogether. Why  would I want to try on something just for the sake of it, find out that it fits you like a dream and then leave it back on the shelf feeling like someone just broke your heart?

  I went into the ‘My budget shops’, scanned the price tags, and bargained in few places. But still hadn’t found anything apt for my decorum (mainly the price). Next I stepped into the shop at the basement, which was filled with girls, like as though the entire bunch of brigade road seemed to shop for their attire and accessories there. I stepped into it for two reasons.

1) The girls I saw there seemed like the IT girls! (IT girls defined as cool, sexy ,hot …They possessed one of those IT qualities).

2) After I walk out of that shop, I might belong to that category, and people could put me in the front page of The Times Of India like those VLCC ads, which displays the picture of NOW and THEN! (Even though NOW (of me) is not that bad like in those ads).

            Well the place seemed neat. It was one of the My Kind stores, befit for the money I had. I saw this really pretty black dress with a big red lace around the waist and I pictured myself with that on the front page, in place of the VLCC ad.... And a red stiletto to go with that! It seemed to legitimately fit into the context. The cost quoted by him for both was 1300, 650 for the dress and 650 for the stiletto. All I had was 1289 Rs , I reminded myself! But I really wanted to get into that front page desperately. I argued with him, fought, bargained. If beg, borrow or steal worked I would have gone with the flow. If not for the first two, definitely for the steal part! (Watch confessions of a shopaholic, if you start complaining about !)

    After a lot of argument and commotion he reduced the price to 1100 which was good enough. The moment he saw me taking out my card…I heard him say..’Sorry Madam cards not accepted!’

    Uggghhhh!Grrrrr! I made all the possible faces against him. I asked him to keep it aside so that I could draw cash and get back with the money. He said a YES!

I went out hunting for an ATM. I walked for about 15 min, and still couldn’t find any. But somewhere around in a secluded area of the otherwise active street, I could find one which read ‘Canara Bank ATM’  . I was relieved.

I  went in and typed my password…oops wrong password… I was trying to recall ….OHwe! I had forgotten! I vaguely remembered, and I typed in ****….oops the card gets sucked in!!! OHHH NOOOO!!!! I try calling all the helpline numbers put up near the machine. It’s a Sunday! No one’s answering.

I was not worried about the card though! It was the dress! The pretty pretty black dress! I want that!!What if some one else takes it off!!

Well, I had another card…atleast I  was supposed to have another card!Yep, to add to the crabbiness, It was missing! Missing from my wallet, I stood at the ATM and searched my wallet thoroughly...No sign! Aaahha! Now I recall….I left it in my bag pack the other day! Wow! Way to go, I thought.

Finally, I was NOT getting my dressL. I had to get that over in my mind and move on! It depressed me…thinking of the missed out dress, I tried getting out of  the ATM place. Now to add to my miseries, the door gets stuck! It doesn’t open. The release button doesn’t seem to be working. What a DAY! I had to wait till another person came with his card and unlocked the door, no phones and no securities. Since it was some isolated place, for 20 minutes nobody turned up. Then there came my saviour, a big fat guy, who released me of, one of my miseries at least. I thanked him and decided to get back home.

Depression of not getting the dress, overpowered my ability to think how I should be getting back home with only 20 bucks. Whoever came up with the phrase 'The thrill of the chase', needs to rephrase. It’s not the thrill of the chase, It’s the thrill of getting the prize for the chase! Especially when you want it that freaking badly.

            I tend to digress a lot.

Oops 20 bucks, auto costs me like 80 bucks. I decided to board the bus. Well that would come up to 15 bucks. Works out. I’ll still be left with 5 bucks (a bonus)

I had to walk to the other end to board a bus, which I did without complaining. Well, to make things worse, I had to board the wrong bus. He pushed me off at the wrong stop.

 I had to board two more buses after that, which left me with cipher amount and I had to walk 20 min more to reach home.

According to RK Narayan, two decades ago when his character could pay his daughter’s school fees, bus fare and for her music classes all in 40 Rs per month , My 150 Rs today couldn’t  get me  home the right way!

That’s not all , my day turns from worse to worst!

I get a call from my friend who is supposed to meet me near my place.

Telephonic conversation went like this:

‘Where yo??’

‘M getting back homey’ Where you?

‘Still there??? Im waiting for you at Brigade road!’

‘What??? You were supposed to meet me near my place’

‘But you told , you were there shopping here !’Im here, waiting! Just come!

‘Go ahead and wait there! I’m never coming to that place again!

Bang ! Bang! Phone down!

Good thing: I got to write something for my post.

So the moral of the story, A bad happening always makes way for something good.(completely irrelevant it is!! )

P.S: I went back the next day, and got hold of the dress. Obviously the thrill lies in getting your hands on the prize!
Dedicated to: Queen Biatch...the day she disowned me  for a dress!:)(Street rattling)