C'est la vie...
Luck, fate, destiny, life - however you see it, whatever you call it, it is the unknown variable in all your plans. You're expected to make room for it, adapt to it and make best of whatever it causes, somehow make it work as a part of your grand plan. That's how you get what you want, right? That's how you stay ahead in the game. But sometimes, this luck-fate-destiny-life plays a cruel joke on you. This variable goes insanely wild, stacks astronomical odds against your plan, and not just rains, but freaking cloudbursts on your parade. Having been at the butt end of such a joke, here's an account of those series of unfortunate events (good one Snicket! I know the feeling!).
It all began a few months back, when after hours of reasoning, convincing and flat out emotional blackmailing, I finally got my best friend to come back with me to Mumbai for Diwali. I started looking forward to the trip and had high hopes from it; so did she. The need to make it special was felt even more so, when in these final days of our college life, me - the near antisocial holed up in my room, and she - the ultra-social workaholic present in a dozen places at once, were finding it hard to even see each other let alone spend some time. This was an ingenious solution - what could be more special than visiting your family after long months and having your best friend to accompany you on the journey? So yes, we were excited beyond imagination.
Since our flight was Saturday early morning, the plan was to leave our college on Friday evening; reach the city by dinner time; grab a luxurious dinner at some swanky place; get to the airport, then watch movies non stop, cuddled up together (one horror, one comedy, one action and one "cute" as she put it); and finally sleep like dead on the flight (drool warnings were exchanged). Sounds like a good one doesn't it? We thought so too. If only it could have gone this way.
The problems didn't even start as some minor hiccup. No sir, we lead far too dramatic lives for that. The first one itself was damn near asphyxiation. On the day of our departure from college, an important bail plea verdict in the case of a blatantly corrupt politician (hint - 12,000 sarees), was to come out. There had been deaths in triple digits, with her supporters picking all sorts of suicide methods - fasting, wrist slashing and even self immolation, to bully (this qualifies I think) the courts into taking a decision in her favor. On the day, tensions were mercurial, with everyone apprehensive of a riot breaking out. And why did it affect us, who couldn't care less about this? Well, we were right at it's epicenter. Enjoying a luscious dinner was out of question and now the priority was to get to the airport safely.
Step in protective parents. And rightfully so I may add. With her parents' help we worked out a safe passage to the airport. We still wanted some celebratory dinner, what with both of us getting placed and now finally on our own feet. So we decided that we'll have it at the Domino's outlet nearby and ask the cab to pick us from there. Still a lot to be excited about. But along came a slight hiccup. With the company cab her father had arranged, he had also sent along a friend to escort us from college to airport safely. Over her cries about overprotective parents and my amused smile, we decided that the privacy we wanted would be achieved only at the airport, but we could still enjoy some movies in the cab. She talked to her father's friend and found out that he'll be slightly delayed in reaching our college so we could still make our dinner as planned. The silver lining was there after all.
So we moved out with our modest luggage from our hostels to Domino's and had a hearty dinner. But as I was working through my last slice, she got a call from the cab that they'll be further late by an hour. And as if on some diabolical cue, the Domino's guys started shooing us out. Now this wouldn't qualify as a hiccup if we were allowed to come and go from our hostels as we pleased (as it turns out I am, but she isn't). So hiccup it was, and a big one considering it was 11 pm already. But thank god for her day scholar friends that we found a place to crash (I should take a cue and get more social I think). Any way, we went to her place and then watched some movie till the cab came. Once it did, after the customary introductions and polite questions, we settled down in the backseat to a horror movie (she looks so cute when she's scared). And after an hour or so, my motion sickness, which to my bliss had for so long forsaken me, came back again. Damn.
Consequently, I barfed up when the cab made a small stop and then since the mood was broken anyway, we decided we would just snooze through to the airport. As soon as the cab hit back the road I was already asleep and the next thing I saw when I woke up was the terminal at the airport. We got our luggage out and said our thank yous and then walked in. Finally some "only us" time. The first thing we noticed as we entered was the bone chilling temperature. Thankfully I had some layers of fat and years of cold resistance in me to shake it off, but she? Ten steps in and I heard teeth chattering from her. She asked me to feel her nose, and it had gone cold already. Cuddling up was more of a survival necessity now but no less cute. Finally, finally some "only us" time. But the hits just kept on coming.
I knew there would be fellow students from college there at the airport but the good thing about being antisocial is not having to forcefully interact with anyone. But I had an ultra-social with me and soon enough she found loads of her acquaintances there. However, that girl is too sweet to leave me standing alone in awkwardness and she knew how much this trip meant to me, so she shooed them all away soon enough and there we were. We saw the "cute" movie together and boarded the plane back home, feeling giddy and giggling, together. At the takeoff there was a torrential downpour but our faith in the tech today was rewarded and as soon as we safely hit cruising height, we were asleep, drooling over each other.
On landing in Mumbai, I met her parents for the first time and God knows she has the cutest bunch ever (I'm punching my wall for every 'cute' I write). I got a warm and lovely reception from them and they even dropped me off at my place which luckily fell on their way. As I bid adieu to her she said,"I'm sorry it didn't go as you had planned" and before I could reply she was gone.
What I did reply, over a text message, was this - it doesn't matter that things didn't go according to plan; we were together and that was actually kind of the point behind everything, so I'm no less ecstatic than I'd have been otherwise. What I realized from all this is that luck-fate-destiny-life, it will keep throwing punches at surprising moments. You just have to keep an eye out and learn the old duck-and-swing. We adapted to every obstacle, smoothed out every wrinkle and ended up having a wonderful time together. And there's your other lesson. Things always will be sunny when you have your loved ones with you. So rather than moaning the departure reality takes from your fantasy, cherish it because you have your love, friends, family actually in it with you. And their affection is no fantasy. Hold their hands (or pull their cheeks as I did) and keep looking for telltale signs of surprise adventures - you will have a blast. Because such is life. C'est la vie.
It all began a few months back, when after hours of reasoning, convincing and flat out emotional blackmailing, I finally got my best friend to come back with me to Mumbai for Diwali. I started looking forward to the trip and had high hopes from it; so did she. The need to make it special was felt even more so, when in these final days of our college life, me - the near antisocial holed up in my room, and she - the ultra-social workaholic present in a dozen places at once, were finding it hard to even see each other let alone spend some time. This was an ingenious solution - what could be more special than visiting your family after long months and having your best friend to accompany you on the journey? So yes, we were excited beyond imagination.
Since our flight was Saturday early morning, the plan was to leave our college on Friday evening; reach the city by dinner time; grab a luxurious dinner at some swanky place; get to the airport, then watch movies non stop, cuddled up together (one horror, one comedy, one action and one "cute" as she put it); and finally sleep like dead on the flight (drool warnings were exchanged). Sounds like a good one doesn't it? We thought so too. If only it could have gone this way.
The problems didn't even start as some minor hiccup. No sir, we lead far too dramatic lives for that. The first one itself was damn near asphyxiation. On the day of our departure from college, an important bail plea verdict in the case of a blatantly corrupt politician (hint - 12,000 sarees), was to come out. There had been deaths in triple digits, with her supporters picking all sorts of suicide methods - fasting, wrist slashing and even self immolation, to bully (this qualifies I think) the courts into taking a decision in her favor. On the day, tensions were mercurial, with everyone apprehensive of a riot breaking out. And why did it affect us, who couldn't care less about this? Well, we were right at it's epicenter. Enjoying a luscious dinner was out of question and now the priority was to get to the airport safely.
Step in protective parents. And rightfully so I may add. With her parents' help we worked out a safe passage to the airport. We still wanted some celebratory dinner, what with both of us getting placed and now finally on our own feet. So we decided that we'll have it at the Domino's outlet nearby and ask the cab to pick us from there. Still a lot to be excited about. But along came a slight hiccup. With the company cab her father had arranged, he had also sent along a friend to escort us from college to airport safely. Over her cries about overprotective parents and my amused smile, we decided that the privacy we wanted would be achieved only at the airport, but we could still enjoy some movies in the cab. She talked to her father's friend and found out that he'll be slightly delayed in reaching our college so we could still make our dinner as planned. The silver lining was there after all.
So we moved out with our modest luggage from our hostels to Domino's and had a hearty dinner. But as I was working through my last slice, she got a call from the cab that they'll be further late by an hour. And as if on some diabolical cue, the Domino's guys started shooing us out. Now this wouldn't qualify as a hiccup if we were allowed to come and go from our hostels as we pleased (as it turns out I am, but she isn't). So hiccup it was, and a big one considering it was 11 pm already. But thank god for her day scholar friends that we found a place to crash (I should take a cue and get more social I think). Any way, we went to her place and then watched some movie till the cab came. Once it did, after the customary introductions and polite questions, we settled down in the backseat to a horror movie (she looks so cute when she's scared). And after an hour or so, my motion sickness, which to my bliss had for so long forsaken me, came back again. Damn.
Consequently, I barfed up when the cab made a small stop and then since the mood was broken anyway, we decided we would just snooze through to the airport. As soon as the cab hit back the road I was already asleep and the next thing I saw when I woke up was the terminal at the airport. We got our luggage out and said our thank yous and then walked in. Finally some "only us" time. The first thing we noticed as we entered was the bone chilling temperature. Thankfully I had some layers of fat and years of cold resistance in me to shake it off, but she? Ten steps in and I heard teeth chattering from her. She asked me to feel her nose, and it had gone cold already. Cuddling up was more of a survival necessity now but no less cute. Finally, finally some "only us" time. But the hits just kept on coming.
I knew there would be fellow students from college there at the airport but the good thing about being antisocial is not having to forcefully interact with anyone. But I had an ultra-social with me and soon enough she found loads of her acquaintances there. However, that girl is too sweet to leave me standing alone in awkwardness and she knew how much this trip meant to me, so she shooed them all away soon enough and there we were. We saw the "cute" movie together and boarded the plane back home, feeling giddy and giggling, together. At the takeoff there was a torrential downpour but our faith in the tech today was rewarded and as soon as we safely hit cruising height, we were asleep, drooling over each other.
On landing in Mumbai, I met her parents for the first time and God knows she has the cutest bunch ever (I'm punching my wall for every 'cute' I write). I got a warm and lovely reception from them and they even dropped me off at my place which luckily fell on their way. As I bid adieu to her she said,"I'm sorry it didn't go as you had planned" and before I could reply she was gone.
What I did reply, over a text message, was this - it doesn't matter that things didn't go according to plan; we were together and that was actually kind of the point behind everything, so I'm no less ecstatic than I'd have been otherwise. What I realized from all this is that luck-fate-destiny-life, it will keep throwing punches at surprising moments. You just have to keep an eye out and learn the old duck-and-swing. We adapted to every obstacle, smoothed out every wrinkle and ended up having a wonderful time together. And there's your other lesson. Things always will be sunny when you have your loved ones with you. So rather than moaning the departure reality takes from your fantasy, cherish it because you have your love, friends, family actually in it with you. And their affection is no fantasy. Hold their hands (or pull their cheeks as I did) and keep looking for telltale signs of surprise adventures - you will have a blast. Because such is life. C'est la vie.
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