Old Is Gold!!!
Date: 29Nov05
Time: 19:00
Mission: Shift to our new house (Not Enough money to buy one for now in Bangalore, it is a rented one)
Time 19:00
Every one of us comes back to the old house to pack their belongings and move out to the new place. Everybody begins to find out the number of under garments/ shirts/ trousers/ books/ watches missing (thankfully they secure their mobiles). They curse the house owner for letting us a shitty and messy place while also cursing the servant maid for having lost that 600 bucks new Nike T-Shirt that you bought the other day at Central.
Time 19:10
Frustration reaches its peak as realization dawns on them. It was not a one hour job. This would easily take 3 hours. But, humans (especially Indians) deliberate on anything and everything. So, one moderator rakes up the discussion on how to pack things faster. Ideas and Ideas flow while the work is at a stand still.
Time 19:30
Another realization comes to the fore...we wasted half an hour. So, everybody gets ready to pack their belongings
Time 19:45
A moderate voice (me) among the group suggests that we check our new place even before shifting the luggage. So, I along with my friend start out to the new house.
Time 20:00
We reach our new house only to find that there isn't even a main door lock. It was at this time that another revolutionist was born. My BP (blood pressure) must have shot up to a staggering 240/160 (another exaggeration, but I feel so). But, cooling my nerves down, I think of an alternative. I decide upon staying in that god forsaken place (to be our new house) for just one night. Imagine living in a house with no window panes and lock for one night, that too when the temperatures are around 14 degrees Celsius.
Time 20:20
Its time to break the killer news to my friends back there at my place! I am all the more excited because we don’t have any other option other than to shift to the new place.
Time 20:30
I call up our house (old) and tell them the situation whilst also explaining to them the alternative that my brain came up with in the last minute.
Time 20:45
I walk up to our old house (Remember it takes 15 minutes from my new place). Confusion, Confusion and More Confusion all around as everybody is cursing right from their cab driver to the Autowala who dropped them at our place (Old).
Time 21:00
No food, No Water but more worries and problems.
Time 21:10
Its time for taking a decision and sticking to it! Somehow, we come to a conclusion only when it’s too late (you’ll get to know the meaning of this shortly)
Time 21:20
Another 10 minutes of deliberation yields a unanimous “YES” for shifting. Two of us hop onto a GOD sent bike (another friend of ours came to visit us – lUcKy Us!). I quickly drive to the DEN, the place where we can get the transport auto.
Time 21:30
Having looked around for about 10 minutes for a driver, we finally go to our broker (no odd thoughts, he is the real estate broker guys!!!). He too looks around the place but in vain. Dr. Stingy (me) is not ready to pay more than 150 bucks for the shifting (I make this very clear to the broker)
Time 21:45
Unable to find anybody out there he finally gives us the verdict “Come Tomorrow!” But he doesn’t understand does he, time is a luxury we don’t have! With nothing more to talk about we stand there waiting for some miracle to happen.
Time 21:50
We finally find a Lorry Driver who is wandering about the DEN. We present him our case and he looks like the man! At the outset he seemed pretty normal. But, I had an odd feeling that his hands were itching seeing us plead him for HELP! After a long thought process, he gives out his quote Rs 1200/-. God Dammit! I was not even ready to pay 200, upon that A Thousand Bucks??? Do I look like Jim Carey??
Time 22:05
With all hopes down, we finally start walking towards our parked bike when we see a Maruti Van parked near our bike. Without any hesitation I offer him a deal. To our surprise, he accepts the offer, but says this shifting thing has to be completed before 23:00 (Reason – Some, brain eating Hindi Serial he has to watch). But, as that is an Airport cab, we have to pay him 200 bucks per trip.
Time 22:15
Without further delay, we shift the first half of the things to our new place and he goes back for a second trip. Greed has its own way. He can see real money from us now, and agrees to forego his serial for two more trips (600 bucks!!!!). But, as the cost is too high, we decide on two trips and get the essentials to this place.
Time 23:15
No Serial (for the driver), No Food, No Water and No Sleep still. Its pay time and he demands more (more exploitation of the poor/rich?? No comments, but its exploitation of the rich poor, sounds better!!!). So, we give him a 20 buck tip for helping us out and he wants more. So, he sounds a funda and shouts out aloud that he is not a 420 (we paid him 200+200+20). Unable to argue anymore, we pay him 5 more and get him out of that place.
Time 00:00 (Date’s changed too)
After a long night/day’s work, I decide to go to sleep at this unearthly hour (no other option). On my bed, as I lay and sift through my thoughts, one thing that stands out among the lot is the proverb “Old Is Gold! Had we not decided to shift and were able to adjust at our old place, all this mental trauma could have been avoided”.
With this thought, I slowly slip away from the real world into the dream world, where there are no bounds and I could control virtually everything!!!
