Lost & Found

I am generally very careful about my stuff. Even as a child there seldom had been instances involving me and a “pencil lost in school”. Losing things was the prerogative of The Brother. He once forgot his entire drawing bag in an auto even when the traveling distance was just 5 mins. I always have one person at any point in my life where I have to be the responsible one and take care of their belongings. Childhood had The Brother and now it’s Mr. Husband who has vowed to forget a couple of umbrellas during each monsoon!

Now now.. I am not here to rant on how careless these special characters in my life are. Rather I am penning down an amusing instance which had me being an exception to the ‘careful one’ rule!

My love and hate relationship with the Mumbai Locals is put down in various posts on this blog. This incident adds one more chapter to it. While returning from office last week, I was on an automatic mode and wasn’t thinking much. My brain was resting after a tiring day at work. I got down at my destination and strode my way to the auto stands.

(A little background: The train had only one more destination to cover before departing for the opposite direction. For the ones in Mumbai, it was a Churchgate – Borivali train and I got down at Kandivali. The same train departs for the opposite journey. Meaning it comes to Kandivali again in almost 20 mins, albeit on a different platform)

Back to the story now.

After galloping some snacks from a nearby vendor to satisfy my hunger pangs, I waited in the auto queue. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten one of my bags in the train. And 15 mins had already passed since I got down at the station.

My senses awakened and I sprang in action. Panicking, I ran towards the station ready to jump in any train which was on the platform. But common sense prevailed and I quickly etched out a course of action. I went to the station master who was busy gossiping about his wife with a colleague. The look on his face told me that he was in no mood to entertain my plight. So, with a fake smile I requested him that it was really urgent and I had forgotten an important bag on the train shelf.

He finally relented and consulted his railway timetable list as slowly as possibly he could. Each passing minute was important for me and he took his own sweet time. Finally after what seemed like ages he said two words. 6:50 PM.

It meant that the same train was bound to return on the Kandivali station at 6:50 PM. I consulted my watch which said it was already 6:49 PM.

Like a warrior on the verge of losing a battle, but one who never gives up, I ran as fast as my legs could take me near the compartment that I had boarded earlier. As the train neared the platform, I could hear my heartbeats, partly due to all the running and partly due to the anticipation of whether this train is the same one. Had my bag caught someone’s fancy and was whisked away either by a kleptomaniac or by a concerned passenger who was wary that it may contain some explosives? Or had luck favored me and the bag still lay there, untouched?

I boarded the train and the pleasure that I derived from seeing my bag sitting serenely at the same place where I forgot it, was just indescribable! Phew!! All the efforts finally paid off even though I had a mini adventure of sorts! I rushed in, took my bag and got down the train, all in a matter of 20 seconds.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Yay!

PS: For the curious ones, the bag had my tiffin box. Now, don’t you ask me why such a hullabaloo for an empty tiffin bag?

After all I had a reputation to protect which was in all probability on the verge of being tainted by a silly local! hmph!