A little trip away from home: Chapter 1

On a whim

It all started with a whim, a frenzied whim that had all the qualities of ruining a life. That life could have been mine. This impulse took me many miles away from the confines of safety, far from the ones I love, those who love me back equally or perhaps a lot more than I can phrase. For all I know, I shouldn’t have let my hurt little ticker on this strange adventure, because as ‘she’ said, “This is not normal. It only happens in the movies.”

But, I am a guy, I have a few things dangling between my legs that have minds of their own. The middle one’s having a ball with the other two chaps swaying to their own tune, and here I am, wondering… are they singing “I want to break free” in chorus? Actually, it was Farrokh Bulsara singing on my mp3 player.  

I’d set out on a journey of a kind to Kerala, in search of this creation, who until a few days ago, I truly believed, was made solely for me. My woman.

I took a leap of faith and booked my bus ticket to Mangalore just the night before. Seventeen tedious hours on that bus, then another 10 in a train before I reached Kochin, just for a little chat that I knew wouldn’t last for over an hour. Thankfully, my toils wouldn’t have gone in vain, for on my way back, I had a gang all set for a real fun trip.

That said, my mind was teeming with questions. Will I reach Kerala on time? Will I see my lady? Will she meet me, because despite all the chats, photos and calls, it’s been so long. Will I be able to make it back to meet the gang on time? All of these thoughts, a lot of music and a few clicks on my kindle surprisingly ate up the arduous journey up to Kochi. But instead of reaching at 5 in the evening, I made it at 9. So although I’d arrived, I’d lost my chance to see my lady for the day. Yes, a long phone call later, I knew for a fact that I’d meet her tomorrow. However, for that, I’d have to wade through her tantrums, which would take me another four years. So day 2 it was….

Seeing her in the morning was out of question. Fuzzy haired, smushed-up eye liner, sleepy little thing, who wants to see that woman? Nah, not me… that’s a lie. But I was like fuck this shit. Better roam around the city, see stuff, then maybe catch her off guard, and the end may be a bit smoother.

Thankfully, I had a bunch of things to scout around. The Kochi Muziris Biennale for one. It’s an ‘International exhibition of contemporary art’ as per Wikipedia, so that’s exactly what it is, I suppose. I’d heard about it from Nayan, a close friend from college – the bugger had attended the exhibition a few years ago and raved about it, the way he raved about hippy things. So I thought, anything is better than putting up all day in my dingy hotel room. A few pushups later, off I was on a bus to Fort Kochi, the venue for the exhibition, situated on the tip of land and the Arabian sea. I stepped inside like a kid into a labyrinth, wondering where to go, and how to go about. But this kind little lady, Anjali, gladly showed me around, and that’s how I bid four hours adieu. Bu then, it was two o’clock, three hours to go before I got to see the one I truly set out on this journey for. Next stop….. Lulu mall!

Now, Kochi’s Lulu mall is a result of all the tonnes and tonnes of money that’s come from the “Gelf” (Middle-East), where Mallus export themselves to in truckloads. The mall is like a gargantuan concrete slab (at least for Kochi) that’s just…… massive!!!

I’ve seen friends click selfies with this mall in the background, which used to leave me thinking “That’s a mall. Dude, that’s a mall!! Why the fuck would you want to click a selfie showing off that you went to a mall?” For that matter, why would you click a selfie in the first place? Tell another chap to click a photo of yours! That way, you’ end up talking to an extra human on the planet, instead of ogling your phone. Ah, forget it. I saw another 35897 fellow beings excluding their right hands from a picture of theirs inside the mall.

Besides being humongous as hell, it’s the same fair as any large mall you’ve been to. Lots of people, lots of shops, lots of brands you’ve never heard or seen before – all of which are too high-class for you– and plenty of fatty food! The cornerstones of an nonintellectual future populace. By some miracle, there was a bookstore there. Phew! After browsing through some interesting, then some really raunchy titles, I decided to take the exit without reducing my bank balance to zero. Now all that remained was finding my little miracle, which was easy-peasy. I knew where her college was, got into a cab, and reached in just 10 minutes. From thereon, the eager waiting ensued, and so did a trillion doubts. What if she makes an excuse? What if decides not to turn up abruptly? Am I late today too? Should I wait at the gates? Should I wait at the coffee shop?...............

Chapter 2: The beginning of the end
Chapter 3: Riding the train
Chapter 4: The best day
Chapter 5: Happy falls