My bus rides every day are a great source of anguish. I am beginning to develop a bad back and my backside is beginning to become flat as a seat. But as someone said:

“Every adversity is an opportunity”

I dare say I have learnt a thing or two about life from these journeys. With my drama queen ways, either I have succeeded in helping you get a humorous fresh look towards life or utterly bored you with my crazy philosophy. I am anyway set on completing this article with God’s Grace. After all “HE” chose this journey for you and not the other way around, and “HIS” Grace is all the fuel we need.

The pursuit of contentment is the truth. And the pursuit of happiness is a myth. But the truth is 2 Bs… BORING and BITTER.

You might have done everything right, you are on time and everything is perfect, but while waiting at the stop you realize that the bus you are supposed to take you to your workplace early isn’t running today.

You don’t lose hope yet, another bus will come by. Other times you have caught the bus, and tension relaxes. And then, do we get a window seat and live happily ever after?

No! Life is no movie, my dear!… Of course, we clamber on all fours into a crowded bus. Your mood dips, but you try to revive it and it is not easy as you are pushed forward, backwards and from side to side like coconut chutney in a mixer grinder since the bus is riding/ flying at breakneck speed. You need to stabilize yourself and lift an arm and grope above the water of people for the handrail. Found it. Now you collect your wits that are scattered about.

*You fall down and fail, get right back up because there’s no use of you lying down there. Someone might trip*

You poke the headsets into your ears. Music is just the distraction you need so the knees don’t hurt much. You concentrate on the ways the women around have done their hair upon is exceptionally pretty, but those clips, how many are there? 1,2,3….*Distraction is the best medicine, sometimes it is the only medicine*

Summer is at its peak, along with the heat waves of the hundred people around you. Seems like the driver is breakdancing with the brakes, you just missed dashing face-first into a sweaty armpit. Indian roads! No, it does not belong to anyone’s Baap! Your hands are getting sweaty, lubricating your grip, but it Is not such a big problem until…Screech!!

A car overtaking the bus swerves suddenly in front of the bus, and the driver *karate kicks* the brakes. Somewhere along the way you had thought it would be funny to stand opposite to the direction the bus was moving in, the extreme front of the bus next to the driver. This is why when you have lost your grip – you fell backwards at the right spot where everyone could see and manage to give the rest of the passengers this piece of entertainment.

You’re not hurt though, but the driver’s bag got the brunt of it. You get right back up off the bus floor only to see the other passengers staring, maybe sniggering you to avoid them and then you take a moment to look at the lady standing next to you, was she like that when she boarded the bus? Was Albert Einstein‘s hairstyle the trend now?

No, you remember thinking how prettily she had braided up her hair with all those pretty clips and how when you were about to fall you caught the Rapunzel braid by mistake. It might have taken her so much time and effort. You apologise profusely and she is looking all washed up holding those hundred million clips in her hand.. unpleased, but she can hardly hear your apology. After all, you were the one who fell over; all she lost was a good hairdo…

So, instead of accepting your apology, she chides the driver, “ What a breaking bro?

She didn’t say anything more as the poor driver got a chiding and a plastered bag!

And I didn’t look at her, I couldn’t bear to, with hair flying all over the place, contemplating whether to hold her unruly hair down or the handrail…

*There is such a thing called “sweet success”, which is when you squeeze yourself with hard work for success, and then squeeze out your purse to buy sweets for others*

We were having a good time, even though this was a terrible ride, at least I would be on time. I could stand in front of my superior with my head high and she would smile back…

Thinking of all this was making me smile. Someone was tugging my sleeve and pointing at something, my eyes followed her finger to see IT. An empty seat! I could see a halo around it and my smile almost turned into laughter but I held it. Why let people know that I am crazy?

As soon as I sat, the pain in my knees and back just evaporated, I felt grateful, almost in tears. Thank God…

But this is the story I am writing, and the protagonist must suffer…The bus chose this moment to break down.

You get off the bus, and onto the street again.

But by now you are almost saint-like, learning to accept hardships with a smile. You have entered the round two of waiting. History is repeating itself sort of as no buses are coming your way. You are going to be okay. You have faith…

“Everything in this life is temporary. The Afterlife is what is permanent and what I am striving for”. You calm yourself with these thoughts as you stand there in the sweltering heat feeling that nagging sweat drop trickle down your back. Parallelly, your mind screams: “BUT THAT IS THEN, THIS IS NOW!” You cross your arms around your chest and pace.

Somewhere else miles away…

“Okay, we will be on the lookout”

A bus conductor in the premium air-conditioned Volvo bus got off a call.

He wobbled to where the driver was and spoke: “That was from the office, he said an ordinary bus had broken down and the passengers were scattered all around, so be on the lookout, Also he asked us not to take the fare, as the passengers had already paid”. “How is that possible?” the driver asked. “These buses need a lot of fuel and the ticket fare is almost double!”

The conductor shrugged. “Orders are orders right?”

********************************

“Slow down! There’s the bus!

And there’s the crowd.

” The conductor got out and allowed the passengers to get inside. Everyone got in except one.”Hey Madam! Come in, we are getting late. Oh! Why are you crying? Ah, you’re laughing too! Get in.”

The conductor ushered the last lady in and signalled the driver to close the door.

He saw through the corner of his eyes the lady passenger sitting at the window seat in contentment. He wobbled off to the driver to gossip: “You know some weird ladies? They laugh and cry at the same time!” The conductor did not know the proper art of gossiping, he had the content but was too loud. So you hear what he said, and it doesn’t matter because you are content.

The end of the story is:

You pay for an ordinary bus, work hard, try to be content, fall down a few times and get back up only to fall again, but in the end, get a first-class ride on the most premium buses…

But then you look around and see someone standing; you empathize because – life is not the same for everyone at one particular time.

But you know he will make it, just like YOU did…..