Anybody who has spoken to me for more than 60–61 minutes will already be aware that I need to travel an hour to reach my workplace and I ride my 3-year old Activa. I would have also told you the various problems I face, not missing the backache and my no-time–for-exercise schedule.
Now, anybody who knows so much about the most important journey of my everyday life deserves to know what happened today!
Experiments do not work with me. I prefer pre-set paths.
Assumptions do not work with me. Assurance does.
Hints do not guide me. This-way and that-way will take you there...this works perfect.
Today’s Tale
A normal day … okay I will be honest …. Not a very normal day …. The morning tuition kids came late and I was irritated … they don’t concentrate on what is being taught and I need to be patient and explain the importance of this chapter in the epic and in history too … cooking, packing for work, preparing breakfast, getting ready for work … wondering if I can leave early in the evening for KrishnaJayanthi … Husband suggesting that I take the day off! I saying nope, not today! Saying “No” puts the most stress on me!
I start off for work on time … Husband-I part ways after our 2-kms together-ride and then I start my long-journey to work. All was well … my brake was working fine … I had full control over the bike … I was concentrating on the road … I took all the right-left as all days … I stood at all signals … and then …
..and then … the 5th signal of my route showed 150 seconds waiting and I was almost in the 15th row of vehicles! I noticed the free-left that takes you to the perpendicular road without having to wait at a signal … it would be a curving road, I knew. I just had to take the correct left, the correct right and the correct left!
I should have taken the warning there .. CORRECT is such a big word! ….
I swayed my Activa into the free-left … All was well … then I don’t remember what happened … I took the next right and the next left … I knew it was the way .. but now I know I didn’t take the Correct Right-left … To my horror .. I got lost! Gosh!
I didn’t know where I was going … concerned that I was on the wrong road … I did what I dreaded most … my husband will be terribly ashamed of me … I am lost!
I smiled, I could sense that I was slightly hysteric … then I smiled again and I produced it better and then I smiled once again … and I was my normal self. A smile helps, proved again. All this while, I was still fast on the accelerator.
Then I turned to look around as I rode to see that the places around me were actually nice … the road was a residential street with trees all around and a kid-school too on the right … the road offered a right and left … I peeped and found the right more interesting … bigger road with medians and less traffic .. I decided to go that way .. I am anyway lost, how does it matter where I get lost .. let me as well enjoy this …
Then there were many decisions to take .. this way that way … at a signal I decided to take the free-left but by the time I reached the signal, it was green and I decided to as well go straight … how did it matter anyway!
After about 30 minutes, I really got tired. I mean, how longer could I be in the “lost-state”. I finally pulled my brakes and stopped, to find no-one around. No one ask-able, to be specific.
There was this young lady on the road, walking with an umbrella .. must be terribly complexion conscious, again not my type. But how did her cosmetic-interest matter to me while all I want to know is “Where am I?”
I excused myself with her and asked various questions, the answers of which I thought would help me! She understood that I was lost, but wondered why I was full of smiles! She said “there is a shorter route with various turns to reach your destination, but if you are here already, I am sure you will never make it there on the turning-route. Please travel on the main road and take the signals straight till you reach the Arch! Turn left”
I interrupted, “the Anna nagar Arch?”
“No” came the sharp reply “Ayanavaram Arch”
“There is an arch here too? Amazing. Do you live here? I live in Anna nagar”
“Nope, I am here to meet my friend .. I bunked work today”
“Wow! Lovely. Where do you work?”
“ICICI bank – Sales Manager”
“Oh poor you!. Meeting your bf today? You can tell me .. anyway you don’t know me and so you need not worry if I would tell anyone! Isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Yes. We want to have a day out, just us.”
“Awesome, wish you a nice day J Freak-out! Your name?”
“Divya. Yours?”
“Priya. Thanks Divya … I go straight and straight and left at the Arch!”
“Right. Office?”
“Yes. Late. Bye!”
Ayanavaram has an Arch too?? But then I have no right to question her words, I don’t even know which direction is Ayanavaram from Anna nagar!!
I went on as she suggested and to the left I started seeing places that I have seen before … not very familiar, but I knew I had seen them before .. may be yesterday evening? … I then decided to take the route that I thought right! It’s anyway a day of adventures; why not as well try this?
Aha! I reached K4 and from there I took the left and right and then …
… and then… the 5th signal of my route showed 150 seconds waiting and I was almost in the 15th row of vehicles! I noticed the free-left … that takes you to the perpendicular road without having to wait at a signal … it would be a curving road, I knew. I just had to take the correct left, the correct right and the correct left!
I patiently waited for 151 seconds and rode off straight!
