It was my friend's birthday and she decided to treat us. Three of us first went to 'Piccadelhi' (a restaurant which is a replica of the London subways) in Connaught Place to eat. Post that, we decided to shift location and went to 'Nirula's Potpurri'. We all were laughing and having fun after what seemed like AGES. We were bitching about our 'no-social' lives. Deciding to let my hair down, I chose beer and as it seemed to be my lucky day, bagged an extra bottle since it was in the happy hours.
Talking and gossiping about old times, we revived a lot of good memories too. Just as we were exiting the place, my memory jolted me that I had brought my light blue stole. I ran back to Piccadelhi, and thankfully the sweethearts had kept it for me. The next, the three of us took a common auto to go back home - one of them had to be dropped at Def Col, while the birthday girl and me to GK-1. I was holding my brown pouch that contained my ID cards and ATM cards. Enroute, our unusually chatty auto driver, an old sardarji, handed me his phone to get it back on ringer mode. "Main anpadh hoon, mujhe samajh nahi aa raha ki yeh kaise theek karoon, toh aap theek kar deejiye" I obliged him and researched his phone painstakingly (the menu was all in Hindi font) and corrected his settings. To test if it was working, I asked his number so that I could ring it. Happily, he blessed me and dropped me off to my home.
Timeline to Panic:
11:15 pm: I dialed his number and after several rings, I heard him exasperated and annoyed that I was calling him repeatedly. Nevertheless, I gave him benefit of doubt because I knew he was coming from ITO (nearly 13-14 kms from my place). He assured he would reach in 15 mins.
11:30 pm: I was hyperventilating by then. Tried to avoid the itch of calling him again. I knew he was an honest guy, yet I had all negative doubts lurking in my brain. Another 10 mins of despair as I stood on the main road, worried that he would not find me and go back home. My colony's security guards looked suspiciously at me, and I fielded yet another angry call from my mom who had by now, gotten suspicious of my sudden urge to take a midnight walk in my colony's park - as I had told her.
11:40 pm: Sardarji arrives, looking irritated at me. I take two deep breaths of oxygen like I breathed my first air - right out of my mom's womb! Yet, he calmly asks me to sit in his auto and spends five minutes, explaining me the importance of taking down an auto driver's number as soon as u board it - in case u leave something in the auto - and second, how I should check all my belongings before I de-board the auto at the said destination. He hands me over my pouch, saying he didn't even open it to check the contents. Sardarji was my guardian angel that night and thanked him profusely, gave him 400 bucks to show my appreciation for his honesty and all the pain he had to take to reach my place. We spoke awhile and at midnight, he took leave. I prayed to all the Gods that day, asking them to bless this kind soul!
Guys, all I can say is that Angels do exist. But not all will be like this guy, so please take care of your belongings since losing even a single piece of our identity - ID cards/anything - amounts to a whole lot of paperwork and unnecessary wastage of time too...
Timeline to Panic:
10:40 pm: When I reached home, I got the sinking feeling that I had yet again forgotten something - this time it was my brown pouch! I panicked, emptied my bag and searched high n low. Voila! I remembered it was in the same auto. Thankfully my memory helped me retrieve the auto driver's number. I called him and after several rings and collective gasps, he answered the phone, getting my heartbeat to normal mode. I hurriedly reminded him of how I was an unfortunate passenger who had left a pouch in his auto. I heard a rustling sound at the other end. Sardarji told me he had found it, assuring me he would come back to the same place where he dropped me.
11 pm: The phone gets cut and I yet did not confirm from him what time he would reach my place. By then, beads of sweat formed on my forehead on that cold night, thinking of the consequences I would have to face if at all my mom came to know. All visuals formed in my head and further panic attacks hit me when I started imagining him getting lost and not knowing my address.
11:15 pm: I dialed his number and after several rings, I heard him exasperated and annoyed that I was calling him repeatedly. Nevertheless, I gave him benefit of doubt because I knew he was coming from ITO (nearly 13-14 kms from my place). He assured he would reach in 15 mins.
11:30 pm: I was hyperventilating by then. Tried to avoid the itch of calling him again. I knew he was an honest guy, yet I had all negative doubts lurking in my brain. Another 10 mins of despair as I stood on the main road, worried that he would not find me and go back home. My colony's security guards looked suspiciously at me, and I fielded yet another angry call from my mom who had by now, gotten suspicious of my sudden urge to take a midnight walk in my colony's park - as I had told her.
11:40 pm: Sardarji arrives, looking irritated at me. I take two deep breaths of oxygen like I breathed my first air - right out of my mom's womb! Yet, he calmly asks me to sit in his auto and spends five minutes, explaining me the importance of taking down an auto driver's number as soon as u board it - in case u leave something in the auto - and second, how I should check all my belongings before I de-board the auto at the said destination. He hands me over my pouch, saying he didn't even open it to check the contents. Sardarji was my guardian angel that night and thanked him profusely, gave him 400 bucks to show my appreciation for his honesty and all the pain he had to take to reach my place. We spoke awhile and at midnight, he took leave. I prayed to all the Gods that day, asking them to bless this kind soul!
Guys, all I can say is that Angels do exist. But not all will be like this guy, so please take care of your belongings since losing even a single piece of our identity - ID cards/anything - amounts to a whole lot of paperwork and unnecessary wastage of time too...
