Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Alone in the city


I just sent my parents off. After a month-long stay, they left today. Early in the morning at 6.30. Since last week, they've been teasing me about how I'm gonna jump with joy  the minute they leave. Even today, as we were going to the station in the cab, they were like..."so, what now? Are you gonna throw a party coz we're finally leaving? Why do u have to come to the station to send us off? You could've bid your farewell at home, right?" My repartee was: "Oh yea! I have to come and make sure you leave....what if you miss your train and come back?" This is the traditional family joke we use to gloss over the fact that there is going to be an emotional scene just as the train starts moving. This continues until the last moment...nd suddenly, I turn the tap on as I wave them away back to their home..yelling "TAKE CARE! Careful about your health...call me as soon as you reach!" Looking at my dripping tears, my mom starts her crying...and Dads giving this strange half-sad, half-oh-gawd-these-women! smile as he waves back. And then, they're gone...(My parents just called to make sure I reached home...just as I was typing tht last sentence)

I cry on the station for a while nd then look around me. The day is just beginning, the platform is quite empty with the usual morning smells of tea-leaves, feces and the whiff of yesterday's staleness. But the freshness of  new day too...the delightful chill of early morning breeze, the faint twitters of the birds...these are pleasures I rarely ever enjoy...and I cherish  the calm that descends over me. I am alone in the city again. For some reason, it feels just right, despite the emotional wrench just seconds ago...it feels like a fresh new beginning of something byutiful. I feel grown up and ready to handle it :) Flashes of other such mornings where I shared silences over steaming coffee cups with dear ones bring a smile as I wipe my tears away. Mornings like this make all the bad stuff worth it. As I ride back home on an auto, I see the city waking up and going about its business...the city I now call home, the city where I have a place among all the arguing autowalas whose Telugu I'll never understand and all those Gucci-wearing, high-heeled hot babes zooming by in fast cars...Good morning, Hyderabad!
 

6 comments:

  1. Hey!

    I loved your post. Glad to have the grown up party babe up and kicking :)

    love

    Vaish

    ReplyDelete
  2. YO?

    nice picture you painted there boss.. and I must say.. either you read too much or are too talented to be blogging in a free blog..

    I bet its the first one..

    any-hoo.. can I have the fone number of any one of those high-heeled, gucci-wearing lay-deez?

    ku ku ku

    ReplyDelete
  3. When I'm this supposed 'party babe', I'm hardly grown up, chica!! But thanx about the post :) Lov ya and c ya soon!! LIke THIS weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. sorry da, dont personally KNOW the gucci-wearing chics...but lemme give u a tip...make sure ur in Armani!

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey.. thats a nice way of describing the city. I liked that part and the part you described the railway station in the morning...
    just wana tell you that you aren't alone in this city.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Anonymous! Thanx for the comments...and i know I'm not "alone" (as in lonely)...but its nice to BE alone! :)

    ReplyDelete

WHADDAYA THINK?