Remember when you first start going to a college, the first week you go about 15 minutes early. The next week you start going into the class after the first 15 minutes. Then next month the first period seems like an unwanted luxury. Then we realize the pointlessness of even going to the college. Well it’s safe to say I’m no different from all the other college going teenagers. But as the year drew to a close the subject of financial accounting started to become more and more enigmatic. So one fine day I decided to pay a visit to the college and check out how the place is holding up. This is where yet another foolish quest of mine shapes itself. Well I decided to go to the college, so I thought why not go on time? So I take a fast passenger bus instead of an ordinary bus, the main differences between these buses are that the former covers a 45 minute journey in 30 minutes max for an extra 5 rupees. And unlike an ordinary bus which has a seat that is harder and crater filled than the surface of moon, the fast passenger has a back-friendly seat(or at least one that is bearable).
I was surprised to find many empty seats, normally the bus is packed. I was starting to feel lucky. But as if he read my mind, a guy (stocky…….. okay who am I kidding, a really obese man!) he comes and sits next to me. I’m not prejudiced against obese people, but when 4 or 5 seats are completely vacant and I’m in a seat which is barely big enough for a full grown man, Him sitting in my seat was kind of infuriating. And he obviously had a work out in his work clothes, his weight might have increased a great deal more, with the gallons of sweat dripping from him. As soon as the uncomfortable Journey starts the guy falls asleep (he was literally snoring) I was at the window seat and the guy seemed like he was trying to get his head out the window in his dreams. I was sandwiched between the sweaty blobby mass of the guy and the window. I tried everything to get him to wake him up; I even tried poking the guy with a pencil (in the politest way possible) but apparently the guy had a grudge on me from our previous life.
Then, finally I ran out of options and decided to leave the entire seat to the man, and traveled standing up. I couldn’t see out the window, so I missed my stop and got of 7 stops away. There was no way I was going to reach my class on time, but I still got on an ordinary bus which was packed to the door. I stood on the footboard; well I had one leg on the footboard. And all I could hold on to was some guy’s shoulder. (I don’t want to sound like a wuss, but knowing that a small slip would send me to a gruesome death, that scared me.) Then finally I thanked god for finally reaching my college in one piece. When the bus came to a stop, I actually fell out. (but don't worry another guy cushioned my fall) then I walked to the gate, I was lucky after all I just made it on time.
But the sight that awaited me at the gate was a disheartening one (I felt like someone just hit my stomach with a sledge hammer) the watchman was the only one in the campus. It was a holiday because of a fight that broke out in our college the previous day. I did the only thing my devastated mind told me to do- take a “bus ride” home.
