Oct 11th Saturday.
This morning I want to think about my Friday shenanigans and I wonder how 16 hours can hold so many things in one go.
Friday evening was tentatively booked for a rehearsal and it’a long weekend for boys. So I decided not to do anything else and just be with them. Knowing very well it will mom overload for them I didn’t plan to take a day off on Monday.
Rehearsal fell through and it saved me more than 2 hours on road on a rainy Friday. Ashish was home by 1. It was nice to have him home for lunch without boys on a working Friday. Ajey decided to go for an event in the city. Anand just wanted to stay home and play, Ashish has planned to go for whisky tasting while I was gone for rehearsal. I decided to be his uber driver.I had promised a friend to drop their guests from Station to their home on our way.
And then you know – you decide and plan and something else happen. Google can plan your map but not the timing. The rained got the train delayed and it made me change everything. The couple stood on the other side of the platform and we were looking for them on another side. Dark rainy night and spotty signal it was interesting 10 minutes to say the least. Finally we found them and I decided to drop Ashish and then them and will go back to the tasting.
The plan for perfect driving wise, little I knew I would never make to the tasting on time. I was high on something else.
We had our introduction in the car and got to know about their families. When she asked me to not just rush and stay with them for a little bit I agreed. Ad that hour flew like seconds. Her story was one of very progressive stories I have heard. For now I will call her FB.
Imagine a scene – you are spending time with your parents outside India gate in Mumbai and suddenly a gentleman who is in transit for 10 hours in India meets you and spend some time with family and then offers the girl a chance to study in America, in early sixties. What are the odds you meet someone by chance and it changes your life forever. A baby girl in a very big household (10 siblings she said, she had to really work hard to make it happen. It was fascinating to hear the events led to her arrival in Bay Path University here in MA for two years course. But more than that I was fascinated her trip details of 90 days in $99 bus deal and her travel across America with one college mate. A 20+yrs old girl, traveling across America with a Swedish friend.
I think I am very organized and get things done woman but I was in awe how she planned and managed to travel, find accommodations in those 25-30 places she visited. To add to that on the way back to India she found an opportunity to board ship to England for minimal changes and used her return ticket’s left over mileage to travel in Europe. She stayed with friends in Europe she made during those 10 days on the ship. Imagine no social media, phone or any other form of communication and this girl from India already had discovered how to connect with people.
There is much more to her life later, she moved back to India, worked, got married a family friend. In her Seventies, she still has that spark and I can see the pride and excitement when she talked about those day. The gratitude for the man who changed her life, the opportunity to make it big and better, taking it to another level with her courage and thinking beyond the box. She lived a wonderful life in India but made it back to United states when kids had to go to college here.
I am so glad that my friend was busy that evening so I could meet them.
To give my share to her story I promised her that I will find her travel mate for her whom she lost contact after 30 yrs of friendship. Lets see If I can make it happen.
Once I got the text from Ashish I realize we were lost in time. while coming back home I was thinking how amazing this beautiful life is when we meet people and learn so much more.
To make it even better I stayed up till 2 AM to watch a series called “Family Man” one of best made show in Indian cinema. I am not much a TV woman to say the least. I could watch 7 episodes in one go. My Friday was one of the best to say I have no regrets of missing that whisky tasting. I was high on an incredible story.
and some pictures are just magical - represent hope, love, joy and happiness.
