It was almost time for me to start to catch the 10.50 p.m. train to Bangalore. I had packed my things, finished my dinner and was waiting for the clock to strike 9.30. I looked in the mirror and thought “Good, I look as terrible as possible”. I love getting dressed beautifully when I want to really enjoy my day. But traveling all alone in train at night is something that I don’t enjoy much. It rather, scares the hell out of me.
It was 9.30 p.m. I carried my big bag on my shoulders and walked out of my room. I stepped foot on the road, and lo, the rain starts, as if it was waiting for me all the while to pour.
I pulled out my umbrella, another burden (as if my big bag was not enough), and walked up to the auto stand. I was not surprised to find that there weren’t any autos (it always happens to me!). I waited in the rain for an auto, to go to the nearest bus stand. The nearest bus-stand is about 15 minutes walk from my room. Although I love walking, I hate walking with burden on my back. So there I was, waiting for an auto who would take me to the nearest bus-stand for Rs.15. Haggling with the auto drivers in chennai is more like haggling with the vegetable vendors anywhere in the country.

Finally, some auto driver agreed for Rs.15.I got into the auto along with my big bag and made place for both. We reached the bus-stand and I alighted from the auto. I looked in my purse for Rs.15, but I had only hundred rupee notes with me. I pulled out a hundred and gave it to the auto driver. He said he didn’t have change for Rs.100 and said he would get it from someone. I was looking around to spot some shop nearby, where he could get change, in the meantime, the auto driver got into his auto with the money and sped away! I was so taken aback by all this that I stood staring at the auto which sped away, cursing him, and didn’t notice the number plate of the auto! There goes my money…

Bus route number 1 came to a screeching halt near me. Now it was time to shower curses on the bus driver. I gave him a cold look and showered curses in my mind. I got into the crowded bus and stood near the door cursing the bus for being so crowded. I passed on a hundred rupee note to the passenger standing next to me to get me a ticket to central. And then again, my dear luck showed its grace! My fellow passenger replied “This bus doesn’t go to central after 9”. I looked up and thought, “God, why me?”. I decided to travel till Mylapore, and then board another bus from there to central. I was standing in the bus waiting impatiently, for someone seated to get down so that I can sit. I was standing there thinking about my rotten luck, when somebody seated, got down. Finally, I heaved a sigh of relief for my painful shoulders, and sat down. I looked up again and thought, “Ok, my luck is not that rotten after all”.

The bus was nearing Mylapore, and once again my luck shone! There was big traffic jam, because of some construction work going on in the nearby lane. I sat there thinking,” No use cursing anyone for my luck, to hell with the jam!”. I didn’t want to alight the bus and walk the remaining distance to the bus-stand with my big bag and an umbrella. So I decided to wait for the traffic to clear. After about 10 minutes the bus reached the Mylapore bus-stand. I got down from the bus, and was waiting for another bus to come by, to get to central. After about a minute, I ran out of patience. I decided to take an auto to central. I heralded an auto to central, haggled with him and then finally settled for Rs.60.

We reached central at 10.30p.m. I gave the auto driver a hundred rupee note without alighting from the auto and waited till he gave me the change. I took the change and got down from the auto, and walked towards the main display in the central railway station. I checked the platform number where I had to board my train, it was platform number 3.

The train had already arrived and I walked the length of the train to get to my compartment, S1. I got in and searched for my cuboid-cle. I wasn’t surprised that the passengers in my cuboid-cle were all men. (It always happens!) I had got middle berth, so I was waiting for the passenger with the lower berth ticket to “decide” to sleep.Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that I hate middle berth. It gives a good view for people in lower, middle and upper berth on the opposite side. Finally, the guy who had got lower berth decided to sleep. I raised my berth and climbed up to sleep. I shut my eyes and prayed that no eyes were peering at me. I couldn’t sleep all night and was waiting for day break.

It was 6.30 in the morning and the train would reach my station in another 15 minutes. I hurriedly got out of my berth, washed my face and packed my bed sheet. The train reached my station and I was more than glad to get off the train.