The Girl From Vapi

It was 5:53 in the evening. I was leaving college, the other day, and trying to get a rickshaw home. The Mumbai Rickshawallas are a vicious breed, and the folktale is still untold, of what revenge they take out on us common folk. “Andheri Station!” a girl begged to the rickshawalla. He paid no need, as if she was something better ignored.  “Coaldongri?” I asked him. He jerked his head towards the backseat, like a king doing a favour to a begger. I sat in and the Rick accelerated when I asked him to halt it. Rickshaws that come to Andheri are very rare. Very very rare.  I pulled my head out of the small door., and leaned towards the girl. “Andheri station? I am going there, should I drop you?”  “Yeah!” she said eagerly, and ran towards the rick, with a quick good bye to her friend.

“I am not going to go to the station? Only Coaldongri.”. The rickshawalla grumbled as was his habit.

“Ae Bhai!” I was physically hating the khaki-coated driver now. “Coaldongari matlab station ki taraf hi jaana hai.” And then in a sweet voice to the girl, “My house is a little before the station. It’s a walking distance till there.” She was beautiful from what I saw of the corner of my eye.

“Hi, I am.” She said. “F.Y.BBA, Mithibai.” I introduced myself

“Umm.. walking distance, as in, how much? I have a train at 5:20” she sounded worried.

“umm… till the signal.” In Mumbai, people are always thinking of catching trains.  Trains come on go, but people still fuss about catching a particular train. I then realized that I was heading to Andheri East while she was thinking of Andheri West.

“Where do you live?” I asked, trying to figure out which side would be better for her.

“Vapi.” She said. The central line of railway has stations I have never heard of. “Central line, or Harbour?” I asked.

“Umm.. Gujarat actually.” Okay, so this girl was not from Mumbai.

“No, uh.. I mean, where in Mumbai?”

“I am still searching for a hostel.. umm..” So she was new here. “Yeah, but you’ll catch a Western train, right?” I asked as a rickshaw took a right turn towards the jammed bridge of Parle East.

“No, I am going to Vapi right now.” She said. I was dumbstruck. The next moment my brain was whizzing like a horse. She was going to Gujarat, right now. She couldn’t possibly miss that train, she didn’t have a hostel…. “You need to get out!”

“You need to catch another rickshaw. This mile-long traffic will take time. Cross the road and take another rick. Okay?” I ended kindly, as she look bewildered.  “Okay,” she said meekly as she got out, and then, “Should I pay you or something?”

“No No!” I rushed her. ”You’ll easily get a rickshaw from here.”

As I saw still amazed at the girl who came to college and then left for Vapi, I saw here get into a rickshaw next to mine. Shit. As my rickshaw moved ahead an inch, I stuck my face in her rickshaw. “You’ll never get to your train in this traffic. Go to the other side of the road and catch one from there.” I pointed vigorously, as she nodded once more and left that rickshaw too. My rickshaw moved even ahead, as I saw her cross S.V. road safely, and then she was out of sight.

Out of mind? Not for a while. I kept thinking she must have thought that I was crazy to ask her to leave the rickshaw or was she so dumb? Or maybe, she was just naïve. She was new in the city, had absolutely no idea of the roads, and even lesser of the Traffic Jams here. There was so little chance of her getting a rick from Mithibai to Andheri station to reach in less than 20 minutes. If I hadn’t asked her to jump into mine, she would have missed her train. Now, on S.V. road, there was more chance of her making it. But she didn’t know that. She had been at ease with her friend.  I felt like a fool, but I also felt good. If she got to her train in time, she would probably be thankful to me. Or probably, she would be cursing me ignorantly for wasting her time. In any case, I was feeling good about myself. She had easily agreed to share a rick with a completely unknown person in a new city. She was probably unaware of all the dangers around, or was brave enough to take on them.

You know, that’s why I have such a grudge against Rickshawallas. They never pay heed to people who hail them, instead pass by them by dirt. I am particularly agonized thinking of people who really need a rickshaw, but are unsuccessful in getting one. Like a person who has had a bad news and need to rush, or a girl who needs to get home before it gets dark. I wonder how much bad will these annoying rickshaw people gather during thee day, and I wonder how much it is going to screw them up. Why doesn’t Karma fuck up them all at once? And above all, they are frequently striking to increase the fares.

And the girl, I would never know if she made it. I don’t remember her name, and I probably won’t recognize her.  But the question will always nibble at me. Did she make it? Did she go home? While the incident was actually quite meaning less, I will always remember the girl from Vapi