One Night @ ....

Venue : Shanti Guest House (in front of Railway station and almost a KM away from my home in Sector 4, Gurgaon) 

Time : somewhere around 4:00 AM

Temperature (one of the main characters of this story) : somewhere around 5 degrees Celcius

Me (Shivering) : Bhaiyya….

Man (closed eyes, tightly holding his blanket, in 90% sleep)  : what…??

Me (shivering) : Bhaiyya …….

Me (wait for 1 minute)

Me (pushing him) : Bhaiyya

Man (closed eyes, tightly holding his blanket, in 80% sleep) : Whattttttt???????

Me : Bhaiyya, room hai ?

Man (still eyes closed, still tightly holding his blanket) : ha…..   … a …  …n

Me (pushing him gently, guilty tone) : Room chahiye tha ….

Man (still eyes closed) : ha  ….. a … n …. Kitne aadmi…

Me : akela

Man (still eyes closed, why the hell are you waking me up face) : 800 lagega

Me (without any second thought) : Thik hai bhaiyya

Man (back in 100% sleep)

Me (desperate attempt to force the issue) : Gaadhi yahan khadi rehne doon??

Man (opens his eyes for a second, had the jet speed glance and quickly closes back)  : Gaadhi bhi hai ????

Me (with utmost guilt) : haannn

Man (still in half sleep) : ATM k saamne lagao …..

Me (quickly parks my car and comes back)

Man aka Hotel worker (finally out of his blanket but still in 50% sleep, with a register and pen in his hand): Name?

Me : Ankit Sharma

Hotel Worker : Address ?

Me : Ramganga Vihar , Moradabad (My hometown as I did not want to mention Gurgaon here…)

Hotel Worker : Phone number ?

Me : 8886462002

Hotel Worker : Car Number ?

Me :  UP 21 A ….  …………….. ……..(quickly had a car glance) AF…….7119

Hotel Worker : Give me your ID … Aadhar card … DL ..etc.

Me (takes out my Aadhar Card)

Hotel Worker : Is this address Sector 4 , Gurgaon ?

Me (what the hell) : ………….aaaa…….. I lived here sometime back ….

Hotel Worker (still in half sleep) : OK , take this aadhar card back in morning …

Me : %###$$@!

Hotel Worker : last column, Purpose of visit ?

Me : &^%$#$@###$^^*^%$###@@@@@#$%!%##@!#$%!@#%###@

Hotel Worker : Matlab Business k kaam se aaye ho …. Ya job k kaam se aaye ho ….matlab ….

Me (almost cutting him and trying to seem very confident) : haan haan business k kaam se

Hotel Worker (giving a key) : Room number 308

Me : Bhaiyya, room me kambal hai na …… ??

Hotel worker : #$%^@#$^$$###$ …….. Obviously …. Kambal TV table chair sab kuch hai ….

Me (in my mind) : This January ( January is the birthday month of me and my wife and also our engagement and marriage anniversary month, on the other hand also the coolest month of the year), I am going to gift some blankets to people sleeping out without proper homes.

And heartiest thanks to God, we have a home to go back every night in this chilly winter.

Venue : The Leela

Time : somewhere around 11:15 PM

Someone : OK bye guys , see you on Monday …

Someone : Ya, had great fun ….nice party man …really enjoyed ….

Vikram coming with a plate full of food and now started eating when half of them already left

Raghav (to me) : Bhai badiya dance karta hai yaar …..

Me (after 3 hours of non stop dance) : haan bhai tu bhi ……

Raghav ( to me ) : You are taking Vikram home, right? Thoda sa jyada pee hai usne…

Me : Ya ya, he lives half a KM from my home .. I will drop him …. And ya I have not drunk a drop. Ye jyada naatak to nahi karega na raste me …

Raghav : Arre nahi, acting kar raha hai sala

Me (to Yogesh) : Bhai ye Vikram thik hai na …

Yogesh : haan haan thik hai

My phone ringing …. Alpa (my wife) calling ….

Alpa (in peak anger) : Where the hell are you, why did not you pick my call in last one hour?

Me : May be loud music me pata nahi chala ….

Me (In a assuring tone) : I am leaving from here right now ……

Alpa (in half anger) : I am badly tired, I may sleep anytime. Don’t come home. Go to any of your friend’s place.

Me (casually) : acchaaww ….

(Phone cut)

The background (completely unknown to me) : Alpa had joined the gym today after gaining bitter fat post pregnancy. She went to Gym after her office and she had taken the pain killer after first day work out and was feeling really sleepy.

Me (to Raghav) : Yaar, leave me and Vikram till infinity towers. My car is parked there.

Raghav : Haan haan , ye ab khane betha hai jab sab chale gaye

In between

Vikram (In suroor, in feeble voice) : Ankitttt, tuuu mere ko drop kar raha hai na ….

Me : Haan bhai, bas tu jaldi se kha le…..

After 10 mins (Vikram finished eating)

Raghav (to me) : Chal bhai jaldi leke ise, ghar se phone aa rahe hai

We quickly went to Raghav’s car and both sat but Vikram not coming in …

Me : Kya hua bhai ?????

Vikram : Mera bag Yogesh ki car me hai…wo la raha hai

Raghav (to me) : thik hai bhai, wait kar lete hai

10 mins passed (no signs of Yogesh)

Me and Raghav (giving angry stares to each other)

5 mins more (Finally Yogesh is visible)

Vikram giving a warmest and slowest possible hug to Yogesh and Kunj

Me and Raghav (angrily staring at each other)

Vikram finally sits in car, we drive and stop within a minute.

Me : What the hell is this city man, 12 midnight in chilly winter on a broad road and still jammm

Me (to Raghav) : Yaar meri biwi to ghar pe aane ko hi mana kar rahi hai, let me call her.

Phone ringing ….. no one picks …

Me (casually) : Gussa hai shayad

Raghav (casually) : Ghar nahi jayenge to padhosi k ghar jayenge

Time : Around 12:30 AM

Venue : Below my home

Tringggggggggggggg tringg tring tringggggggggg

Tringg tringg tringg tringg tringg tringg tringg tringg bell continuously ringing …….blaaaaast

The bell gone off.

Phone continuously ringing  …….

One time, second,  third………..seventh …….

Oh fish, she has actually slept. So cold outside. Let’s get back to car. May be she will wake all of a sudden and see her phone and call me back.

Thank God, so warm inside. My shirt still a little wet with dance and body still warm. I think I can easily spend night in car. Anyways, she will sometime wake up, will see her mobile and will call me back.

Around an hour passed …..

I will really .. $##$#$$$#$$^%!#$%@#$%%%% her tomorrow. In fact, let me call her father right now …. ……..controoollllllllllll ……….Let me take out an extra sweater from my bag and wear it. Its not that warm now. Thank God, I kept an extra sweater. Let me wear back my shoes. Slept …..

Somewhere around 3:30 AM ..

Body shivering badly. Why all of a sudden is it feeling like Antartica ???? Hell hell what should I do ?

Lets call him, no he is married ….. lets call him, no he is also married ….., lets call Gaurav, he is a bachelor. Ringing ….. Gaurav …. Please lift call …. Oh its 3:30 …who will pick up…..Oh I also do not have my Driving License with me …hell … I saw that Police patrolling car while entering my street …. Let’s call Oyo…

Me : Can you tell me about any hotel near Gurgaon Railway Station?

Oyo person: Wait a min ….. We have a hotel near to Railway Station, when do you want to check in?

Me : Right now ….

Oyo person : Right now?

Me : Ya, right now …. Where is it exactly …. How far is it ?

Oyo person : The hotel is at …..%%%%%% ….. , just 10 KMs from railway station ….

Me : Is this your definition of near ????

Oyo person : There seems a hotel near bus stand ……

Me : Phone cut

Lets move towards Railway station ….its just 1 KM ……and there’s always a hotel near Railway Station. Also no one takes a vehicle as abnormal on Railway Road at any hour.

Venue : Shanti Guest House (in front of Railway station and almost a KM away from my home in Sector 4, Gurgaon) 

Time : somewhere around 4:00 AM

Temperature (one of the main characters of this story) : somewhere around 5 degrees Celcius

Me (Shivering) : Bhaiyya, please wake up….

Man (closed eyes, tightly holding his blanket, in 90% sleep)  : what…??

Me (shivering) : Bhaiyya …….

Me (wait for 1 minute)

Me (pushing him) : Bhaiyya

Man (closed eyes, tightly holding his blanket, in 80% sleep) : Whattttttt???????

Me : Bhaiyya, room hai ?

Man (still eyes closed, still tightly holding his blanket) : ha…..   … a …  …n

Me (pushing him gently, guilty tone) : Room chahiye tha ….

Man (still eyes closed) : ha  ….. a … n …. Kitne aadmi…

Me : akela

Man (still eyes closed, why the hell are you waking me up face) : 800 lagega

Me (without any second thought) : Thik hai bhaiyya

Man (back in 100% sleep)

Me (desperate attempt to force the issue) : Gadhi yahan khadi rehne doon??

Man (opens his eyes for a second, had the jet speed glance and quickly closes back)  : Gadhi bhi hai ????

Me (with utmost guilt) : haannn

Man (still in half sleep) : ATM k saamne lagao …..

Me (quickly parks my car and comes back)

Man aka Hotel worker (finally out of his blanket but still in 50% sleep, with a register and pen in his hand): Name?

Me : Ankit Sharma

Hotel Worker : Address ?

Me : Ramganga Vihar , Moradabad (My hometown as I did not want to mention Gurgaon here…)

 Hotel Worker : Phone number ?

Me : 8886462002

Hotel Worker : Car Number ?

Me :  UP 21 A ….  …………….. ……..(quickly had a car glance) AF…….7119

Hotel Worker : Give me your ID … Aadhar card … DL ..etc.

Me (takes out my Aadhar Card)

Hotel Worker : Is this address Sector 4 , Gurgaon ?

Me (what the hell) : ………….aaaa…….. I lived here sometime back ….

Hotel Worker (still in half sleep) : OK , take this aadhar card back in morning …

Me : %###$$@!

Hotel Worker : last column, Purpose of visit ?

Me : &^%$#$@###$^^*^%$###@@@@@#$%!%##@!#$%!@#%###@

Hotel Worker : Matlab Business k kaam se aaye ho …. Ya job k kaam se aaye ho ….matlab ….

Me (almost cutting him and trying to seem very confident) : haan haan business k kaam se

Hotel Worker (giving a key) : Room number 308

Me : Bhaiyya, room me kambal hai na …… ??

Hotel worker : #$%^@#$^$$###$ …….. Obviously …. Kambal TV table chair sab kuch hai ….

Me (in my mind) : This January ( January is the birthday month of me and my wife and also our engagement and marriage anniversary month, on the other hand also the coolest month of the year), I am going to gift some blankets to people sleeping out without proper homes.

And heartiest thanks to God, we have a home to go back every night in this chilly winter.

Me (with tightly wrapped blanket around me) (somewhere in subconscious mind) … my phone may get switched off anytime …… will see later …..

Time : 5 AM

Venue : Inside my home

Alpa wakes all of a sudden….. Oh Ankit …that stupid ….. he really did not come home …I will #$####$$$#%% him when he comes. Sees mobile …..calls back ….. phone switched off … Whatsapps me : you have become a spoilt brat.

Time : 8 AM

Why is his phone still switched off ??? He generally takes care of these things …. He should reply me as soon as he switches on his phone.

Whatsapps : I have already called your bosses. Your Monday is going to be real bad.

Time : 9:30 AM

A little panic in the air. Alpa starts calling his friends. Calls Harish Verma, one of the college batchmate and also working in IBM.

He takes out Mukul’s number somehow, calls Mukul and takes the roaster. Tracks Vikram, who was dropped by me in the end. Vikram starts searching on the streets of sector 4 and 5.

Time : 10:45 AM

A lot of panic in the air. Indus Admin team called. Alpa really scared …… badly crying. Everyone calling each other.

Venue : Shanti Guest House

6 AM …… me sleeping ….

8 AM ……. Me sleeping ….

10 AM …. Me sleeping…

Somewhere around 11:15 AM …. Seems its already noon time…lets wake up ….. mobile seems switched off…… Ohh Alpa may be calling me ….. she may have disturbed some people ….. TP on … mobile plugged in through data cable….

Somewhere around 11:30 AM…. Mobile switched on…..Anand Lakshamanan calling….. Ankitttt kaha hai???

Me (Why Anand is calling me??) : Haan hotel me hoon ghar k paas …raat ko wife ne gate nahi khola

Gaurav call in waiting …picked  …. Kaha ho ??? … me hotel me …lo Alpa se baat karo ….mujhe baat nahi karni us aurat se ….

Amrit call in waiting …… Ankit … are you fine??? Had you had a word with your wife ?? yes ….

Papa call in waiting … I am fine ….Sugata call in waiting …. Call in waiting ….call in waiting ….call in waiting …….yes I am safe ….i am fine ….haan ghar k paas hotel me hoon ….. gate nahi khola tha raat ko…..call in waiting ….. call in waiting ….. call in waiting…..