I have seen guys scanning the list to see who will be in theirs cabs while travelling. I used to wonder are they mad, but today I understood because some unique people travelled with me. No unique would be wrong but weirdo would be better I believe.
First of all, people know that rules are meant to be broken. The rule says during the pick, employees should reach the nodal point and there cab will pick them. The lady in the cab instructed the driver to take a right turn, driver snapped back “madam for nodal point I have to go straight”. I admired his sense of his duty, but the lady started giving clearance that her home is nearer than what we would have to travel to nodal point. The driver had to give up and did as she said.
Topics #1
Soon another lady boarded the cab and their gossips started. They seemed not just colleague, but knew each other as family friends. The second lady began, “how was the function at home?” and the hypocritical talks began “oh it was really good “and she pointed towards a bag in front of her and said “Sweets” and gave a grinning smile with a comment “I hate sweets, but my home is full of them”. Second lady snapped “I hate them too; she wasn’t slim and trim either.
I am not offending the looks of an individual but the contradicting statements in comparison to their heavy weights were irritating.
Topic #2
They began discussing about someone having cancer and fat lady says “you know I feel, mercy killing is better as I have heard last stages of cancer are painful and my mom was telling the treatments also cost huge these days”. Second lady added “yes there was someone in our neighborhood, who spent 15 lakhs and yet it was unsuccessful, so spending on treatments is fully waste these days”. And then fat lady said “on the day when my brother was getting engaged, his best friend died. He was getting calls from him and he rejected it, and soon he received a messaged saying he was dead because he had stroke. His friend was in a party and felt something wrong and drove to hospital himself and he was found dead in hospital parking”.
I was fully shocked by their talks on death and the value they gave to human life. All these were the just the topics of gossips for them.
Topics #3
Soon the happy topic began. The fat lady was like “you know what? My bhabi’s family gave me necklace, with beads and a dollar, it was so pretty and also gave a necklace set to my mother“. But my father was saying, we would have to return the double of what they are giving us now. We have already given gold worth 3 lakhs during roka and engagement and have to give around 7 lakhs during the wedding” and second lady began “wedding these days have become so expensive, but that’s also a necessity”. Fat lady started “but I always feel diamonds and silver is better. I don’t like to wear gold you see”
I wanted to stop her and say “15 lakhs to save a human life was wastage for you and spending the same bloody lakhs of money on jewelry and dresses is a necessity? Whoaaa, salute to such hypocrisy”
Topic # 4
Topic changed. They were moving from one topic to another faster than it happens in movies. Fat lady had shown some photos in her blackberry and second lady asked “you are not seen”. “I was the one who clicked” replied the fat lady and continued “you know what? My boutique had spoilt my dress, it was so loose”. “But you took my boutique’s number from me; you did go to them” said the second lady. Fat lady said “no I was already given the material so late after weaving, so I told the people from where I bought to stitch also and they completely spoilt it, even after altering it, it was loose for me”.
The modern day word for tailor shop is boutique. The tailor at the end of the street would have stitched it better than the costly boutique of yours. But one has to pay for hypocrisy. Nothing comes free in today’s world.
Topic # 5
Second lady politely asked “when is the wedding?” and my fat lady began “it is in February, but we have a big thing to do before that –SHIFTING OF HOME”. Second lady asked “oh is it”. And first lady continued “you know it’s in 13th floor and my bhabi was so scared when I told her because she had seen some ghost movie, related to thirteenth floor. And I would be shifting along with my brother, after their wedding. I was telling him, you would need your time with your wife, but he don’t agree at all”
13th floor , high floored buildings are the style statements of such people and miss fat lady, ‘you better ask you bhabi , as she would need the freedom from you after the wedding or the time won’t be too late after wedding when she might throw you out from the 13th floor soon’.
Topic #6
Second lady asked “does your brother know that you smoke as you are going to shift with him?” The fat lady replied “I have smoked in front of him during parties and birthdays, not frequently, but he knows that I do”. You know, there is a live live-in couple who live below the flat we currently live, and one day both of them were smoking the same cigarette and my brother was making fun of me, I hope you also don’t do that ways?” “You know the society won’t change, even now if a woman smoked, people stare at you so badly”. Second lady nodded with agreement.
Working in a multinational company, it is assumed that they must be somewhat educated people. But I would choose to call these people “EDUCATED ILLITERATE”. People stare at you because we want to live in literate society.
Soon the cab stopped and I was glad. I got down as soon as possible to get out of the hypocritical world to grab some breathe, and alaaas what do I notice “ they got down and moved ahead as if they never knew each other”. I smiled at this, as I was shocked and didn’t know what the right response was!
And I would surely check who would be in my cab from next time and would pray to miss such cabs which are filled with such weird people to travel.
