Hullabaloo over Hawais.....

If you write and find yourself short of inspiration, take a ride on Indian Railways. I've realised that it has till date, never failed me.

Well, this time I was returning from the Capital on a train exotically named the 'Shalimar Express'. Of course, Exotic stopped the moment I entered the train for within our three tiered AC coach, Mundane and Smelly substituted Exotic. But since post-surgery, I was still in some sort of anaesthetic haze (it seems my biological system has latched onto whatever anaesthetic drugs they had pumped inside me and I seem to be falling into dreamless sleeps at the drop of a hat), the Smelly didn't bother me much and the Mundane was expected and so soon, lulled by the gentle chugging of the coach, I fell asleep.

My sleep was interrupted by Other Half asking for his slippers. It seems he wanted to visit the washroom but was unable to find his slippers which he vouched he had parked just next to his berth. So I went to look, as he couldn't, being barefeet. I looked here and looked there but the slippers had vanished into thin air. It was true, I found myself thinking, that I was contemplating writing a ghost story, but that it would be called 'Mystery of the Vanishing Hawai Chappal' was a kind of a dampener. As I rued thus, my eyes suddenly fell on them, jewel red with blue straps ......but some one else was wearing them!

In my slightly groggy state, I thought it was possible that I was hallucinating but then the marks of Other Half's ownership were clearly stamped across them....that little part of the toe end curve that had been chewed off by Mimie and was peppered with her tiny teeth marks.........

'Are these your slippers?' I politely enquired of the young man wearing them.

'Oh no. They are yours? Please...!' He divested himself of the red shoons.

Other Half, very accommodating and the epitome of good manners, was all 'Koi baat nahin, koi baat nahin.....!'

Cut to next morning. Its around seven and the train is closing in on its destination. Passengers are waking up, dragging out luggage, packing night clothes, dressing to disembark and a restrained chaos reigns. Gassed out, I'm still under the listless Indian Railway kambal when Other Half's plaintive wail is heard,
'Hey, where are my slippers?'

I'm about to tell him that its impossible that the same guy would have borrowed them again, when from under the kambal I hear him shout,
'Arrey, you're wearing them again?'

Disbelieving, I peek out.

Sure enough Other Half's red hawais adorn the feet of the usurper from yesternight.
And this time, the slippers are shining wet!

Other Half is so incensed that he can barely communicate:
'You took my slippers again?
And wet them too........?'

Our friend is unrepentant. He murmurs soothingly,
'Koi baat nahin, koi baat nahin, dekhiye, maine inko dho bhi diya..........!'

But his professed good deed breaks no ice. Other Half is stuttering with anger and indignation...
'DHO DIYA...??????!!!!!!!'

He shifts to Angrezi as he asks me
'How can anyone take someone else's belongings and use them without asking?'

I nod back from under the kambal in sympathy and empathy.

The man appears to be surprised at how someone could be so terribly upset over such a tiny issue,
'Arrey Bhai, kucch to nahin kiya, bus dho hi diya.......'

I peep out for a second and steal a look at his face. A small framed young man, crew cut, clean shaven, neatly dressed...does not look like a chronic hawai chappal borrower...And he is totally unapologetic, not in the least embarrassed and very genuinely surprised.....

I look at Other Half and see on his face a set of completely different emotions, bristling indignation and even anger....He looks for all the world like a school boy who has just discovered that someone has eaten his lunch....

He has now picked up his beloved Hawais and is trying vainly to the dry the sopping wet things with newspaper.

Suddenly, the humour of the whole situation hits me. I quickly pull the kambal over my head, place a restraining hand on Other Half's knee and giggle and giggle and giggle till the train finally comes to stop at my destination.

PS: As they say, this can happen only in India......