Museebat Monday

There is a reason people hate Mondays. There is a reason I abhor Mondays.

Having spent the weekend stewing a resolution to be on time, I did manage to get up early. Rushed through getting ready and I was at the station by 8:35 a.m…..just a minute later than the train…it pulled out of the station as I reached the end of the bridge.

Oh well, I decided, life still goes on and I won’t let one silly missed train ruin my mood. I didn’t bargain for waiting for 20 minutes for a late (again!) train! Whoever thinks women are the weaker sex must travel in the ladies compartment of a Mumbai train sometime. Enough has been said about the crowds, the shoving and pushing so I won’t go into that. Suffice to say that the crowds are a health hazard…I could barely breathe today.

Its bad enough trying to breathe with half a lung and your face mashed up against someone’s arm…someone who’s wearing too-strong perfume, enough to make you sneeze. Life still goes on, I tell myself, I’ve been a Mumbai train-traveller for a decade now after all. But a sharp elbow in my back really throws me off-sync.

I whirled around (or rather twisted my neck around…that’s the only part of me that was mobile) and asked the owner of the offending elbow to remove it. I may as well have asked her to detach it from her shoulder for all the heed she paid. According to her my hair was flapping into her face and I should take care of that first. I pointed out that I couldn’t even move a little toe, let alone tie my hair up but if she took that elbow out of my back long enough to let me breathe, I just might be able to edge into the corner in front.

Plenty of glaring and uncomfortably wedging around and inaudible (and loud) muttering later, we managed to rearrange ourselves in yet another uncomfortable position. Thankfully the station drew up close by then and shooting daggers at each other we walked off. The rest of the journey passed blissfully as I imagined sticking daggers into HER back the next time I was on the train with her and presumably she must have spent the next ten minutes in similarly blissful thoughts too.

Gaaaaad I’m late again…was my thought as I rushed into office. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the water cooler and had long drink. Walking back to my seat, I thought…this is only morning, the day still might work.

As I turned the corner, the door opened and in walked…my ‘elbowed’ train-companion.

Like I said, there is a reason I hate Mondays.

Note: Since Monday is finally over, I feel strong enough to look on the brighter side….that might have been a client instead of a colleague!