You know, there's no end to the kind of things that come up when you really really want to write something and be a lady of leisure. This week seems to be delighted in treating me shabbily, keeping me uptight.

First of, there was this case of pending finance. There's this client who always thinks they're doing me a big favor if they pay me on time, for the hard work I put in. @(*#$)!$&@*$ I have no words to convey my frustration I have suffered this whole week. I am sure my pressure levels would have gone raging high had I not been doing yoga every morning.
Then there's a small matter of my health. For some reason, this week has seen me in poor health. Sunstroke, migraine attack and in general, stress has me sleepless and restless.

Then there's my brother who's final exams begun today. I'd been dreading this time. You see, he goes all quiet during this time. Not only that, he becomes terribly moody too. I wondered how I'd be able to cope with it since I've never been here alone with him during his exams before.
But God does come to help me out at the most unexpected of times. :) Yesterday night, mum and dad suddenly showed up at my doorstep. Words cannot express the joy I felt. I'd not have to get up early in the morning, I'd not have to cook, I'd not have to bear my brother's temper tantrums. Phew! :) Love you God.

So today, since I find myself free time on my hands, I'll continue with the month of December.

December

After spending a lovely weekend with my boyfriend, it was time to go. I was to catch a train from New Delhi station at 6.20 am in the morning. Now, considering the fact that it would take me an hour to reach the station, I ordered a taxi that would pick me up from Gurgaon at 5 in the morning. And for that, of course I had to be up at 4 to be ready by 5.

These are phone cabs and they provide you with very good service. There's one called "Radio cab" and another called "Easy cab". Well, these are the two that I normally use while I'm in Gurgaon or Delhi.
So- as usual, I had ordered a cab with Radio Cab. These cabbies- they normally arrive at the destination point by midnight and sleep in the available general parking lot.

Now, I've nothing against them sleeping but, my particular cabby forgot all about his appointment. After several frantic phone calls to the company, he finally got the message and arrived at 5:30. The cabby assured me he'd reach the station in 30 minutes. I felt he was being over ambitious. *The distance between Delhi and Gurgaon is around 20 miles and though it has an 8-lane expressway, it is always crowded,not to mention the streets once you enter Urban Delhi.*

I'm sure you can guess the rest. I missed by train by 2 minutes. By the time, I had paid him and started running on to Platform 16, the train was gone.
I went to the ticket counter to book another one for the same day. I was told there were no more trains going to Haridwar that day and the ones which did would leave at mid-night. I was upset.

I called up my boyfriend from the station who had a hunch that since I'd started late from home,I'd be missing my train and had been calling every 10 minutes to know if I'd reached. He asked me to find out if the fare could be refunded.

I went to the ticket counter where there was a small queue for fare refund. I filled up the form and waited for my turn. Next thing I know, someone is touching my backside! Outraged, I turned around and glared at the leering, grinning man.

I asked him to keep his hands to himself and not try to touch me again or he'd be facing charges. He grinned evilly. I started muttering about these low lying bastards who come to the station simply to leer at women, with no other intent. I muttered about how this station lacked security, despite what had happened a few days ago in another metro city.

What I had failed to see was that ahead of me in the queue, was a police constable. He turned around at the ruckus I was creating and asked me what the matter was. Once I told him, he blasted the other man for troubling me, wiping the smile off his face. The lecher went off. The constable turns around and says, "this is normal here Madam." I was shaken. First I miss my train and then I face harassment. And I'm told this is all normal?? :O

But more was to come. When it was my turn at the counter, I was told that my fare couldn't be refunded since I had booked the ticket via an agent. What I could do was go to the agent and ask him to file a fare refund. (huh, fat lot of good that would do me! It would be too late by then.)

Stunned and upset, I went and stood outside the station, feeling lost. And then-- got a call from my boyfriend saying I should come back home. You see, he felt guilty about me missing my train and blamed himself. Had he dropped me to the station, none of this would have happened. I didn't argue.

He told me, while I'd been waiting at the ticket counter, he had called up the cab company and bellowed at their inefficient staff. They apologized and offered a cab back to Gurgaon-for free. So I should simply come back home and rest for the day. He'd also already booked the ticket for the next day, knowing I was anxious to start with my revision studies. :)

And so I found the same cabby waiting for me at the parking lot. He apologized the rest of the way and asked me to be kind to him, tell his company that they shouldn't fire him. I doubted they'd do that but whatever.. to pacify him I told him, I'd talk.

I reached home and dumped my bags in one corner and dropped on the couch.

What happens next, comes later. :) Until then.. :wave: