A bump, a sorry and a smile

9:45 AM Ghatkopar Station
Damn! Late again. Why can’t I leave home 10 minutes early and go comfortably in a Slow train – as compared to getting mashed, bashed, abused etc in a Fast train!?!

9:46 AM Hell
Well after 11 months in Mumbai, I’ve gotten quite used to the so called jam-packed hell of a Fast train, during morning rush hour….but getting used to hell doesn’t quite make it heaven you know?
The daily dose of pushes and abuses.
No! Everyone doesn’t get quite as many abuses as me. Why? I like to carry a back-pack containing my laptop and other stuff rather than those regular laptop bags.
I can list 10 reasons why I do that, so don’t ask me why!

9:51 AM Somewhere between Ghatkopar and Kurla
I spot Mr. MusicLover. White shirt, sleeves rolled-up. Economic Times in his hand. No he wasn’t reading it. I assume he must one of those working in a Financial broking company where ‘carrying’ an Economic Times is a necessity – reading is not!
Nokia N93 in hand. Must have been a new acquisition. How can I say that? Because he was not doing anything on it. It was more like a show-off element I’d say. Like look – I read Economic Times and I also have this flashy cel via which I can listen to music!
A very nouveau riche attitude.

9:58 AM Departing Kurla Station
I spot Mr. Quirky. Why quirky? There was this certain strange weirdness to him. The face – the face had this shrewd contorted look. The eyes were hazel. They lacked the softness you associate with hazel eyes – these were sharp wicked eyes.
He had his eyes fixed on Mr. MusicLover. And by fixed I mean fixed….continuously fixed. As if he was studying him, sizing him up….or was he trying to flirt with him?
Trust me, one finds all sorts of characters in Mumbai locals.

Dadar station. 75% of the coach clears out. The remaining 25% included the three of us. More people poured in.

10:12 AM Approaching Byculla Station

Mr. MusicLover queues up at the exit, takes his ear-phones off and puts them in his left trouser pocket along with his prized phone.
Mr. Quirky takes his place behind him.

10:13 AM The Bump

From behind…

A second later….
‘I’m sorry’

They walk in opposite directions

Four seconds later The Smile

A little later…Mr. Quirky admires his prized new possession – the Nokia N93.