A travel story to remember

I don't know why I'm writing about this now as this happened a decade ago - back in 2007, or perhaps in the first half of 2008.

I was staying in Bengaluru then and my girlfriend was studying in Chennai. She was new in Chennai and was finding it hard to fit in, she coming from a small town like Thiruvananthapuram.

We used to correspond every evening when we were free and this particular day she sounded very dull. I asked her what happened and she said she's finding it too difficult to cope up and that she just wanted to quit and go back.

I tried consoling her but she nearly broke down and started crying. That's when I said I'd go down and meet her the next day.

She was surprised. It was almost 9.00 pm and I was promising her of meeting the next day.

She asked me how I'm going to make it. I asked her not to worry about me but to get a good sleep and wait for me the next day morning.

Well, I packed my bag and borrowed Rs. 200 from my roommate as I was running short of money and started off to Chennai by about 10.30 pm.

One of my roommates dropped me at the Kempagowda bus stand in Bengaluru from where I could catch a bus to Chennai.

As bad luck would have it, there was no single bus to Chennai which wasn't crowded. I was too tired to take a packed bus and travel all the way standing and so I waited and waited for a less crowded bus.

Finally there came an almost half empty bus which was going to Vellore, which is halfway towards Chennai. I didn't think twice but jumped into it, found an empty seat, rested by tired back in it and slept off.

Someone woke me up when the bus reached Vellore.

I got out, washed my face in the public washroom there, had a tea from a shop and hopped into a Chennai- bound bus that was about to start.

Then again, I found a comfortable, empty window-seat and I peacefully settled in, hugging my bag to my chest.

A few minutes went by and I was woken up by the bus-conductor.

"Where're you up to sir," he asked.

"Chennai," I said.

He immediately punched the tickets to Chennai and gave me. I reached for my purse in my back pocket and...

Phew... I got pick pocketed!

I just stared at the conductor's face, and he stared back at me curiously.

I immediately got up and started touching by butt as if I've never felt it before -- as if I was discovering that I actually had a butt.

Suddenly, the co-passengers with me also started straing at me with curiousness.

I was embarrassed -- out of words.

I finally muttered: "I lost my purse."

The conductor smirked at me. He started saying something but I was too shocked to listen to him. I stood there staring at all the others -- humiliated.

Suddenly, the person sitting in front of me asked me what happened.

I told him that I was traveling from Bengaluru and I lost my purse.

He then commanded everyone to look for a lost purse -- all this while the bus was still moving.

No one could find any lost purse, and I had but no other choice but to get down the bus and be stranded forever -- somewhere between Vellore and Chennai, and that too at almost 1.30 am, without a penny in my pocket.

"Shit scared," would be an understatement of what I felt then.

Then the miracle happened.

Suddenly, the conductor took pity on me. He announced to everyone that I was in a particular position and it'd be good if everyone could chip in some money to get my ticket to Chennai.

And I don't know how it happened but many of my co-passengers chipped in as much as they could to get me a ticket to Chennai and even a little more that'd help me take a rickshaw to my destination once I reach Chennai.

Whom should I thank for this?

I still count it as a most unreal experience in my life.

Ever since then, I don't hesitate from giving a ride to a hitchhiker, unless it's dark. I never deny sparing a few bucks to someone on the street who asks me for help.

I mean, I don't even remember the faces of those who helped me that night but I just can't stop repaying.