Jerk #1

I decided take a break from the brutal tronix life. I headed off to my cousin’s place in Belgaum. I thought of the pleasant weather, the long hours of sleep, the food!! My uncle asked me to take the direct bus from Sirsi to Belgaum- an eight hour journey. He came to drop me at the Sirsi bus stop. Since it was a long journey to Belgaum, he insisted I took the first bus that came so that I would reach Belgaum when there was still daylight. The bus came around 11 a.m. It was the red K.S.R.T.C bus. He made me sit comfortably on a two seater. The bus was pretty empty (at least that’s what I thought). Just as I placed my bag on the seat next to me, a huge lady, (looked liked she was in her mid fourty’s), wrapped in her pink printed saree, stood tall next to my seat. Her eyes commanded me to make space for her. She sat next to me, half her body protruding out of the seat. She had a grumpy look on her face. How much could I move? I couldn’t jump out of the window. I was already sticking to the wall of the bus. The bus started and the air blowing in through the window kept me from passing out. After a few stops, people started getting down. A couple in front of our seat, sitting on a three seater, got up and left. The lady sitting next to me literally ran there. She was content with the two whole sesta that she could occupy.

I enjoyed my dusty, bumpy bus ride till the next stop. More people got on at the stop; a guy sat next to me and very decently maintained a distance of a few inches from me. I was busy messaging and dint really pay attention to anything but my bag which I protected (basically protected two pairs of jeans and two tops). The bus arrived at its next destination. I realized that I had no range on my phone, but the guy next to me was happily chatting away. He answered to the confused look on my face- he had a BSNL line whose range extended to most towns in Karnataka. He was a guy in his late twenties. He had trimmed his beard and was light skinned. I nodded my head and looked out of the window.

After the conductor and driver had their breaks, the bus started. I felt the guy shifting closer to my seat. I looked at him and he starts off his conversation with a huge grin on his face. He asked me where I was headed to, what I was doing currently, who I was visiting etc to which I answered (not honest with any of my answers). Suddenly he got a call, and I hurriedly checked my cell. I still had no range. I couldn’t help but to over hear the conversation (after all he sat next to me and he spoke like he had a mike forced down his throat). He spoke to some ‘bhai’, explaining the purchase of pipes to a factory. The conversation involved a splash of a few lahks here and there. I was glad his phone kept him occupied for a while. Once he was off, he moved closer (taking advantage of the uneven roads and reckless driving), his first question was- “Would you like to work in Dubai?” I almost burst of laughing at the question. Anyway I managed to bring out not more than a chuckle. I replied explaining I was glad with what I have right now. He went on about how he wants to go to Dubai and earn loads. I unfortunately did listen to all of it.

Just when the thought, “when is this ever going to end?” passed my uninterested mind, he got up. The conductor announced Hubli. As the bus entered the swarming Hubli bus stop, the guy says: “Can I have your number? We can be “messaging friends!!” ”.
I: “I don’t give my number to strangers, Sorry”.
I couldn’t stop laughing in my head. How more absurd could guys get! (No offence to the whole lot!). He got down. I had another 3 hours to go and I was glad no one sat next to me after that.