Traffic stories
Being a Banglorian, bus and traffic have become an integral part of my daily routine. I spend nearly three hours two-and-fro everyday commuting from my residence to office. Other than reading and plugging into earphones, I like to have a small talk with my co-passengers. Sometimes just a smile or a ‘Hi’ is enough to break the ice. When I get a decent reply, I continue by asking about their work place. If I get lucky, they initiate the talk even before I ask anything.
Once, a person told me how he got late that day because his son was refusing to go to school and he had to drop him, how difficult it is being a single parent. An environmentalist shared ideas about vertical farming and invited me for her next nature walk (sadly, I couldn’t make it). Mostly, I meet software engineers who have come to this city for work. There was one particular rainy Friday evening chat with a girl that was very interesting. We both boarded from same stop and we had long way to go. Rains and traffic gave us ample amount of time. In this case, she started it by asking me about my key chain I’ve hung on my hand bag. I told her I made it myself. That got her really enthusiastic. She showed me all her tattoos, enlightening me how every symbol means something. My keychain, which is a string of beads ending with a motif of hand symbol, meant prosperity she said. I had no idea. Only reason I picked it up because it caught my eye. From symbology to boyfriend problems, she shared everything. Apart from hobbies, that conversation included her hair fall issues, weight management, her health problems, her parents’ health problems, work-life imbalance. At the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth is she saying so much to a stranger! I was not being judgemental but it was surprising.
May be she wanted to talk all these out with someone. May be she felt comfortable in the fact that I was a stranger and chances of meeting again were thin. Getting all of this out of her system and not have to deal with that person again was her idea. I do not know. Neverthelsss, it was interesting in a way how people love to talk about their life if given a chance. Finally, one-hour-twenty-minutes chat ended with me sharing the recipe of ‘kadi’, a dish of curd and gram flour. She got down at her stop and I waved her bye from the window. Just like that, she was gone.
Looking forward to more stories,
Prerana
Once, a person told me how he got late that day because his son was refusing to go to school and he had to drop him, how difficult it is being a single parent. An environmentalist shared ideas about vertical farming and invited me for her next nature walk (sadly, I couldn’t make it). Mostly, I meet software engineers who have come to this city for work. There was one particular rainy Friday evening chat with a girl that was very interesting. We both boarded from same stop and we had long way to go. Rains and traffic gave us ample amount of time. In this case, she started it by asking me about my key chain I’ve hung on my hand bag. I told her I made it myself. That got her really enthusiastic. She showed me all her tattoos, enlightening me how every symbol means something. My keychain, which is a string of beads ending with a motif of hand symbol, meant prosperity she said. I had no idea. Only reason I picked it up because it caught my eye. From symbology to boyfriend problems, she shared everything. Apart from hobbies, that conversation included her hair fall issues, weight management, her health problems, her parents’ health problems, work-life imbalance. At the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth is she saying so much to a stranger! I was not being judgemental but it was surprising.
May be she wanted to talk all these out with someone. May be she felt comfortable in the fact that I was a stranger and chances of meeting again were thin. Getting all of this out of her system and not have to deal with that person again was her idea. I do not know. Neverthelsss, it was interesting in a way how people love to talk about their life if given a chance. Finally, one-hour-twenty-minutes chat ended with me sharing the recipe of ‘kadi’, a dish of curd and gram flour. She got down at her stop and I waved her bye from the window. Just like that, she was gone.
Looking forward to more stories,
Prerana
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