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Published: August 23rd 2017
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write anything at all. But yesterday I had something of a religious experience. Such a day! The last time I had a religious experience was the first time I saw bioluminescence off the farm just after dad passed away. I honestly thought he was sending me some bizarre message from the other side. It was surreal! I was lying down on the pier he’d built us, watching the stars, making conversation with his spirit, and I turned to the sound of the water lapping against the pillars, when I saw it. It was like magic. Like I’d stepped into a fairy tale. I couldn’t believe it. Even after touching, collecting, experimenting… I went crazy. I’ve been chasing bioluminescence ever since.
But this, was different. This was the realization that I was not in charge, of a path. Of my path. Of when arriving at a junction, something as simple as an unassuming, casual, light-hearted question could be the basis of an entire series of events that would never have taken place had that question not been asked. Is the tightrope we walk really this delicate?
So I have this flight to catch. It’s at 5:35 am. The previous day I pre-booked a cab for half past three knowing that it takes about 35 minutes from my place to the airport at that time of the morning. Yeah, I know, cutting it tight. Won’t happen again. Merucabs, whom I’d called, informed me that 20 minutes prior to booking time (which means at 3:10 am), they would sms me the details of the driver and cab that would take me to the airport. Ok, I wait. 3:10 – nothing. 3:20 – nothing. So I call them and they refer to me by my name, tell me about my booking and say they’ll send me the sms details within 5 minutes. I wait, anxious. 3:30 – nothing. I call again. They say the cab guy will be at my location within 5 minutes; he would call me the moment I hang up. I hang up. 3:41 – nothing.
I get my bags, lock the door and run down the street to the taxi stand. Dead. Now a resigned realization is starting to seep in – I’m going to miss my flight. I turn and walk at a fast pace down the street towards the main road. A car pulls in ahead in the distance and parks. Someone steps out. A part of me wants to beg him to drop me to the airport. I say nothing as I pass him by. But he says, “do you need a cab or something?” That, Right there.
That’s the one I’m talking about. If he hadn’t taken the initiative to ask me that question I would have silently walked ahead to the main road, waited for a cab and missed my flight. Instead what happened was he got me an Ola cab within two minutes and the driver just so happened to be a damn good fast car driver. His name is Iqbal and I swear to God the drive there felt like a scene out of Fast and Furious. I entered his car at 3:49 am and exited at 4:06 am. I don’t know how he did it. But he did. And he did it in part for me, so I wouldn’t miss my flight, and in part because he could.
Meanwhile at 4:01 the merucab driver calls me and says, “Ok, I’m here.” I just tell him to go home. Now what’s amazing, is that I actually got to meet a child prodigy – the one who took the initiative… who took one look at me and knew exactly what was needed to get me out of shit’s creek… who at the age of 13 was making more money than I probably am right now. He’s basically known for taking initiative. Of course, right? I just didn’t know that at the time. I got a ride from a fabulous car driver, who I’m sure has his own set of unrevealed incredibles in that field, only to find out that the wonderfully courteous purser on my flight was a friend of my cousin. Again, we would never have known this had he not taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with me. None of which would have happened had that brilliant young person who goes by the name of Acidwalla, which literally translates into ‘the Acid guy’, not asked me if I needed rescuing.
Maybe we could all do with being a little less passive spectator-ish, and take initiative. That’s pretty much the only way to make a difference. Oh, and don’t ever book with Meru.
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Rida
non-member comment
I liked the opening para of your blog and even the language you have used to keep your readers riveted. https://huntsends.com/ this is my page having a similar platform and you can also submit your videos related to travel blogging. Kindly go through the link. Thank you.