There has been so many times in this past 2 weeks that I have sat down to write something that will clear my mind and take it out of my system. But I have never found the time and it doesn’t matter now.
But here I am, trying to string words together and also trying to keep it simple.
It all started of with a phone call when my best friend told me that he is planning to come down to India after almost 4 long years. I am sure he would have dreamt about making this call and letting all of know that he is coming for many days now. Though its going to be for a very short time, its sure worth a celebration.
For the kind of person I am who plans even the smallest of things like which side to bite the samosa even before I buy it, I started thinking about his visit and planning for him day in and day out. I enjoyed every single chat, calls, mails from him during this planning because we shrare a history which is the common history cherished by our best of friends in the past 10 years.
Friends have been my first priority in this ten years and I have never ever missed a single opportunity to meet them, be it a week day or a week end. And of course, everyone knows me as the king of Goof ups right from the good old days. To prove the saying right, Yes, I goofed up again.
It was a Friday morning and I came to work early to assign jobs to people who will help me in my plan to receive my friend with few surprises at 1 am in the airport.
Here’s the plan.
Make a placard that says “Welcome home Rajni kanth “ (So that half the crowd in the airport will assume and be standing behind me to get the glimpse of our short super star.
Buy an old Monk and fix it in a coke cane and give it to him for old time sake.
Buy a plate of chettinadu chicken biriyani from ponnuswamy and keep it ready for the dinner.
Smoke a cigerette right after we stuff the baggage in the car.
Listen to some common tamil songs like Kaka Kaka and Thiruda Thiruda on the way home.
Twist in the tale (end of the day):
9:15 pm: My wiffy calls me and says her folks have arrived in the railway station and the call taxi did not show up to pick them up. (Shiva now already worried about going to goof up)
9:45 pm: I am at the railway station receiving my in laws and doing the Mr.Good son in law thing.
10:45 pm: Dropping them home and serving them water to drink and the phone rings.
The voice is familiar, “Shiva, where are you bugger? I have come out of the airport dude, which side are you in?” I can hear him apologize to the owner of the phone and he says my friend is supposed to pick me up and he is some where around.
It really hit me and I didn’t know what to tell him except “Sorry man, just hang on I’ll be there soon”. There is no way I can shot at him and tell him that I am supposed to meet him by 1 am and not 11 pm. Because I know how it feels to walk out of the airport and realize that you are alone and you don’t have some one to receive you and you don’t have a back up plan either.
I tried to do a 100kmph, but what’s the point when I am 22 km away and it’s Bangalore roads. I cursed myself so much and I knew that I will regret this day for a few months to come.
Though I have apologized a few times that night, I felt really terrible for goofing up on this day the 1st of September 07.
“I am really sorry my friend and I mean it”. Thank you so much for the wonderful time while you were around!!!
