Been bekaar for two years straight.Hoping into university buses, slyly sliding myself into colleagues cars to occupy a seat with out much of an apology nor gratitude, or cheerfully asking a random acquaintance, going that way…ha ha ..nice …care to drop me..he he!!!!

Funny, not really!

Then there are the Ola Cabs, madam we don’t go that route. Madam too much distance it is. Then the luck of it all, a wait for a gentleman cab driver..(gentlemen of all kinds have left for honolulu, I guess!) the auto wallah I mean!

Anyways, life has been tough with being bekar but bebus I am never. Always the enterprising and jugadoo-ful, I find a way out.

Then during the quarantine when the boss said, come! I was perplexed. Didn’t sleep the whole night out of anxiety…

Then in the morning even before the sun rose and blinked his eyes, I stealthily pounced on my daughter’s 2 wheeler after a good 15 years….really and then my legs froze, fingers twitched and the indicator won’t stop crying. But I took a round or two by then there were enough morning walkers and for their safety and to safeguard my university professorial reputation I stopped and ran back home.

I was back again at 8 am sharp with heavy palpitations and strung muscles and legs that won’t move. Had Aswin in attendance coz even if I fail ,I still need to reach the office.

But after a rather unsteady round or two I said, ‘I am going’. The boy looked at me slightly bewildered at my drunken dance on the moped, but I said bravely,’ I have to do this or I will never’ and fearful of colliding into the waiting security guard , off I went to hit the road.

A street dog, a wandering cow, and many other movables on the way was treated with great respect since I knew this is not really the age for me to fall flat and be able to get up and walk.

With the helmet, the mask and an id card dancing in the air, I reach the office a good 30 minutes early.

But the pleasure of riding a two wheeler, the pristine morning air, the deserted roads, reminded me of how I would ride to college in palakkad, feeling rather elitist even in my simple small town attire and outlook!

Cheers to Govt. Victoria College, Palakkad

Cheers to my father, the bank manager

cheers to me for daring to do what I did! which means running into a standing scooter in Vadakkanthara and still getting out again the next day, fearful but not ready to give up.

So it was then

So it is now!