When my phone was picked

 I had closed from class and walking to the bus stop to pick a bus to circle. I was on the phone with my friend who promised to call back in 10 minutes. I put the phone back into my handbag without closing the zip.  I don’t zip my bag when I’m in town, I don’t have a reason for this but my bag is always open, I guess it makes it easier to locate my phone or purse when the need arises. OK this is a lame excuse but I can’t really think of a reason for not zipping my bag. 

I think that’s when my attacker started following me. I got to the bus stop and it was difficult getting a circle bound car which was so unusual meaning when a vehicle showed up, we all had to swarm it but only the strongest gets in. Didn’t want to engage in this tussle of the strongest contest so moved farther away from the crowd and waited. After waiting for a while, my options were either struggling or spending the night there, choosing the former I positioned myself in lieu of the next car that showed up. One showed up, couldn’t get in, soon after the second one came and I made it. Relieved was written all over my face.

Made it to circle and joined my destination queue. After standing there for a while my friend's call wasn’t coming through, that was when I decided to call him back because it had been more than 10 minutes. I searched high and low of my bag but no phone. That was when it hit me that I may have been picked.  I was in denial, maybe it’s just somewhere in my bag, it does that to me sometimes. By now I had started panicking and took out my other phone to call my number. I was greeted with sorry; you do not have enough credits blah blah….. Great just when you have an emergency at hand. I scouted around looking for the people who sell phone units to buy from them; there was not even a single soul in sight. You know when you don’t need their service that’s when they beseech you in numbers.  I was really getting apprehensive and wondering why my friend won’t call this number to find out why he hasn’t heard from me. I mean it’s only natural that if you promised to call someone and you have difficulty getting through to the person, you try the other number. My friend called later and I directed all my anger, bitterness to him. As if he had called earlier my phone wouldn’t have been picked. Something I strongly believe!

I felt violated like I had been stripped naked kind of. I mean he put his hands into my bag and took way the phone only God knows where those hands have been.  It’s not like I willingly gave the phone away or is it about the expensiveness or otherwise of the phone. It’s just that this person was stupid enough to target me and steal from me. I was angry, sad. He is lucky I don’t have some form of supernatural powers, because I would have torn him into pieces! Yes that was how angry and hurt I felt. My telecom service provider doesn’t have a back up service meaning all my contacts are lost though I had the habit of writing some down in case any funny thing like this happened.  I learned two lessons here: one, to always zip my bag when I’m out and then to be conscious of the fact that not all the people at the bus stop wants to go home. Some are just there to steal. I hope I don’t fall victim again and no one falls a victim too. It’s not a pleasant feeling plus I have to ask for your contact numbers again so please do send me your number.

Track-stopping Smile

It was a Thursday night after a hard day’s work, tired and limp I had to make the final struggle of pushing through people at circle to make it to the bus station for a car home. While silently praying that there wouldn’t be a queue at the station, the activities of the day flashed through my mind. All I wished for was to get home and rest my tired bones. It is these moments that I wish I had some vanishing powers that could make me teleport. 

Then out of nowhere I was stopped in my tracks, rooted to the ground all by a smile. A smile I can’t describe but realized I hadn’t seen one in a long while. He was bargaining for a shoe or something and the seller probably gave him an exorbitant price which warranted that half laughter and smile.

 At that split second it was like I had been teleported into a Hindu movie wearing a colorful free flowing maxi dress, slow motion running, the wind blowing my long hair and the background was either the beach or some garden (both worked for me) and there he was with the smile on his face wearing a black suede leather jacket unbuttoned showing some toned skin, he runs his hands through his hair and starts to sing…… didn’t hear the song because I was jolted back to reality.

That smile made me forget my sore and tired self and rejuvenated my evening. As I sat in the trotro home, I thought to myself, maybe just maybe I should have walked up to him to let him know he had a track-stopping smile.