Hobson’s Choice
Tring…tring…tring…Bang! A loud bang!.A louder bang! Jumped out of the bed to what! To recive a call from a friend who is drunk in another part of the world. I hate phones …….You know what I hate more than phone…well it’s the mobile phone. Did I have a bad morning huh? Wait!. How about a Tring tring when you are brushing your teeth. It wouldn’t have bothered but then I was expecting an important call. Damn the interview, ill brush my teeth. I would rather prefer a good set of teeth than a better salaried job.
So I continued brushing and got ready for the office. I have to make a better day out of this grungy morning. Clueless about how would I make it as Iam still relentlessly finding ways. It will be my umpteenth time to better my mundane day.
I entered the gate and met a colleague who I dread. I knew what he is going to do. I tried to fiddle with my dress in order to avoid looking. But oh people are so damn innocent that they would never know or undertsand that they are being avoided. Oh when will I have the courage to be honest and tell them to get lost right there on their face. Neither I have the courage nor Iam faster to whisk away. He came cheerfully and showed me some santa banta sms.not one but all the sms he has received from preeti, pinky, sony etc…..why doesn’t the earth just open up and swallow him and his cell.I cursed the day I laughed at one of the sms pjs he had shown.
Day is getting worse.still the spirits are high cos I have challenged the fate! I got to be doing better than getting pissed off with these conceited morons.
I know fate is having a good time teasing me. I will not budge.
I sat in my seat and the person next to me is fighting with her boyfriend over the phone.ooh ha! And the worst part is she is murmuring. It’s barely audible. I wouldnt mind if she was loud. I consider lover tiffs to be quite a passtime.
I have to get out of here before i explode. I ran to get a cup of tea. The tring tring again in the lift. How claustrophobic u can get. The damn person is not able to hear the person on the other side of the phone. But my happiness is quite ephemeral. Fate is quite a miserable sadist.( ill kill the idiotic nerd who said tougher the odds,better is the fight) The person was also fighting against his fate by working out different ways to listen to the other side. And man!,he is trying all possible positions in the lift to hear. And the tone of his voice kept changing. Why don’t I throw him out of the building? I just gulped the tea at once and finally the unhurried 2nd hand lift stopped in my floor and just had to sprint away to my cubicle to keep myself sane. Huh? My next –seat colleague just stormed off crying. Iam sure her boyfriend must have banged the phone.kudos!.I was about to put on my Walkman and listen to some mandolin, but fate had different ball game altogether. My bereaved collegue told me her whole sob story. Oh god. Put the sympathy face girl!. Iam a good actor but the job sucks. Tried giving her an advice to log off her phone and switch of her cell. She stormed off. Some storming off syndrome! No one wants a good advice.

Sometimes my colleagues come up with heartening ideas and one of those is to go out for lunch. As I was about to eat what we have ordered, I happen to look at a quirky freaky girl opposite to me. She was talking with a smirk on her face and munching on a deliciously looking dish. (Wonder! why I didn’t order for it). Poor girl! Suffering from a syndrome. But then my gadget guru friend informed that she is having a handsfree. Oh lord! all these days I thought half of my city populace are suffereing from some syndrome.Am I turning out to be like those Americans who consider everyother activity as a syndrome?

Finally finished my days work. Had to leave early, have to catch up for a movie. Hope fate is sleeping away to glory this time.
But fate never sleeps. Does it have quarter end everyday! The person sitting next to me is messaging whenever a song comes. God this person has a talent enough to make my head turn to look at how fast he is typing. He does an amazing act. He types on the small keyboard on his cell, eyes glued to the screen. Amazing multi tasking! But then I couldn’t admire his talent for long. Now the person has gone to the extremes to screw me up. He is changing the ringtones when I happen to be emotionally involved, tears rolling. I admit I cant change my fate but I can definitly change his. (Did I just sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger of total recall?) I turned my head, masquerading a diabolic look and chided him. I threatened to take his goddamn cell and smash it. Phew! thank God! He got scared and tugged his cell inside the pocket.poor chap. I shouldn’t have raged like this. It’s not his fault. Oh mercy! Am I trying to be nice? Enough of my conscience-stricken brain. It has played enough with my life.some pple deserve it. Move on baby!
Ok! Went to the theatre loo and was startled to hear the tak tak sound of messaging when I was about to relax. Iam quite paranoid abt going to the loo alone in a theatre and i even get scared of cute looking caspers and on top of it there this girl next loo messaging away and whispering, giving away subtle laughter.oh..Eerie.! It was my turn to storm off. I will do anything for u Mr.fate. Just please slide away fom me for a day atleast.
Took an auto to rest my screwed mind and equally fatigued arse.
But then I forgot I am sitting in an auto. But let me admit I am a big fan of the autowallahas. They are just super smart when it comes to maneuvering their three wheeled jets out of any traffic jams.(No wonder “Krish” and “Super man” movies are not made in india and Rajnikanth stunts seem almost real!) God when will I master this art. I was almost on the verge to settle to calmness. The driver speeding hastily turns back to ask me about the intricasies of the hidden charges of the mobilephone bills.Does really god love each and every one on this earth?I DO NOT THINK SO!!! He insisted for my answers and I don’t know how he manages to see the road ahead facing me! One of the wonderments, which makes me numb. I just forced a smile and looked out. He thought I was dumb and he is right. If I was not, he wouldn’t have been able to turn his neck for the rest of his life
What a sight right in front of me. A girl is riding a bike and talking over the cell which is quite knackily held between her neck and shoulder and at the same time pulling her tank top to cover her half cleavaged butt without much success and to the advantage of the onlookers. Both my auto guy and I were appreciating her..Well for different reasons. But let me tell you this girl is much better than saree clad ladies who keeps their feet off from the footrest almost screaching the road.
I finished my dinner and warned my mom not to wake me up no matter who calls and head straight to bed. The only fact, which keeps me sane, is that I don’t own a cellphone. All of a sudden the whole world has so much to talk. Everyone talks and nobody has time to listen. Short cut to short love stories.(surprisingly they donot have a problem with short love stories).do they go through the pain of breakup? Do they not go through the pain of pining for the lost ones? Is life more interesting because of a cell phone?
If I become a Prime Minister, I will ban all the cell phones.
Oh god iam dwindling into formless body between nightmares in the morning and dreams in the night!
Should I take up the challenge again? Do I really have an alternative?