It was 5.15 AM in the morning. The bus conductor shook me up from my sleep screaming 'Vijayawada' signalling that its time for me to leave. My long sleep which was interrupted took some time to come back to terms. I woke up with a neck pain due to wrong sleeping posture and that was hurting real bad. I took my laptop bag next to me and got down telling 'Thanks' to the driver as always. As soon as I got down, auto drivers started making a conversation on where to go and negotiated for the charges. Two to three drivers started talking to me and I was talking to them in koncham koncham telugu that I know and one person agreed to take me to my room for Rs.100 for exactly 1 km. I came to my room and checked in. I was planning on how I could sleep for 2 more hours before getting ready to start my day at the client place. Then it stuck me..... Was there any missing detail in what I just told?
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Did I actually take my luggage in the bus? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. It was this shit moment when I suddenly realized how can I miss my luggage in the bus and check in to the room. Absolute stupidity, carelessness and irresponsible behavior. All this because I was feeling sleepy and got carried away talking to the auto drivers. I realized how stupid this is. It was 5.35 then. 20 minutes since I got down. I immediately ran to the reception saying what happened and pleading if they can help. We called the driver and there was no response. When we tracked the bus, it was already moving in National Highway towards Hyderabad. If the destination was Vijayawada, then it could have been very easy to go and get back the luggage. The bus was already moving very fast and there was no way to chase it like in movies and get your bag and the bus will not stop just for one stupid passenger making others wait. 'What to do?' was the question in my mind.
The receptionist asked me to go to the travel office 2 kms from the place so that they can see how best they could help and helped me with an auto. I went to the travel's office and told them about my issue in broken telugu and mixing it with all languages I knew :P He at least understood the emotion behind it. He told the vehicle is already 30 kms far off from this place and is going to Hyderabad. The same vehicle shall come back in the night and then you can collect your luggage. I was here on an important audit review meeting and I was thinking on how can I go there in my T-shirt and track pant(the one I was wearing all night). I was like this is very important luggage and please help me. He gave back saying 'If something is so important, how can you even miss it?' I was in no way to explain why and how it happened especially with the broken telugu I knew, as constructing a sentence in mind could take more time than getting the luggage back :P I just made my puppy face.
The receptionist called back and gave a brilliant idea to ask the driver to keep the luggage in the nearest hotel on the way and then we could go collect it from there. The travel guy asked the driver to do the same and he readily agreed and within 2 minutes gave a call back as to where and whom he is handing over the luggage to. The auto driver who accompanied me till the travel office readily declared that he will help me get the bag. By then the bag was placed in a place which was 40 kms from our place. There I was trusting this one guy I knew to go in an unknown direction to get my bag at 5.55 AM in the morning. How can I trust him when I have just met him? But then sometimes do you have any other option apart from trusting someone blindly and taking that leap of faith?
I asked him if he is sure to drive 80kms just to help me get my bag and he said lets first go and then you can pay me whatever you want. Money was the last consideration then and we started. It was 6 AM and the morning lights started coming out and there were few vehicles on the street as he drove faster. He promised 40 minutes drive to reach the place. He moved fast, taking me to the outskirts of the city, took some detours, told me about few places in Vijayawada and then joined the National Highway. Whenever he was silent, I used to construct my next sentence to ask in Telugu so that it doesn't sound offensive. A simple 'nuvvu' instead of 'meeru'(respectfully) could make a lot of difference. The sun rose and the journey continued. By then it was a complete surrender to the process. All the thoughts of can I really trust this guy had slowly vanished and it was only about lets see how this goes.
6.45 AM. Somewhere in the outskirts of Vijayawada.
Finally the hotel came and I was only hoping that this should now not be some other bag instead of mine. That's the worst thing that could happen to you after travelling such long and then.........
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There I saw my blue color trolley with my name on it from the flight baggage tag and it was such a feel good moment. I wanted to kiss my bag at that very moment but then it would have been so inappropriate. The old lady asked me to confirm if I am the owner and I put the driver on conference to prove my ownership and after her due diligence and when she was satisfied, she asked me, "How can you miss your own luggage?" and then when I was about to make my puppy face, the auto driver told, "It sometimes happens when you are sleepy and you just feel laptop bag is the only luggage you have" and she smiled. We had tea there and then the journey back to the hotel started. The driver asked me if I was happy and I told him "Chaala chaala thanks anna" some multiple times which would have got him worried if I would really pay him or just tell thanks and say a bye :P
It was 7.45 AM. As we came back to the same roads we started, the shops were still shut. But there was so much that happened in my mind in those 2 hours. I prayed God for everything that happened today morning. Anything could have happened and I could have got my luggage only in the night but I met some strangers who went above their limits and tried to help a stranger in the city for no real reason. It was not the duty of the receptionist or the bus driver or the auto driver's to help me out and everyone played their role. I was glad. Every adversity could lead to something so beautiful is what I thought. The auto driver got paid the exact amount he expected but with a lot of 'Chaala thanks anna' in between. I did get to take my bath and wear my formals for my meeting and the day started with a lot of bizarre adventure. It makes me tell sometimes your own stupidity takes you places :P
They say you cannot trust strangers in an unknown city and that's the only thing I had to do today....
Good day everyone
Loads of love,
Naveen Nagaraj
