Epic Shit - Part 2

Part 2 - Search for Sector 42

Prologue

It was a rainy Friday night as I was waiting outside my office (ready to leave for home). As I watching the rain I started thinking where my life was going (This is generally the time where I am at my hungriest and yet somehow I get most Philosophical thoughts). I remembered an article I read recently of how India is going to celebrate its 70th year of freedom, but all I could ponder about was - Are we really free (after working for 14 straight hours)? Maybe the colonialists have left but as people, we still are enslaved by the corporate world where we work 70 - 90 hours a week (including work from home, work at home etc. and whatever the shitty name they call to 'SLOG FROM HOME AS WELL'). As I was reaching new philosophical heights (and was on the verge of solving modern day human's life's biggest question - "Where does the time go?"), my thought chain was broken by the voice of a girl, (as she was walking from behind me) who asked the same question as always, - "What you thinking, sir?". I thought for a moment of whether I should continue to solve the life's biggest question and then thought - To hell with it. This conversation was more important than everything else. As always I answered - "Nothing, Madam" [Like the last part - Not today, Not Yet ;)].

We were both very hungry and decided to grab something to eat as we were waiting for the cab to arrive. We didn't have a plethora of options to choose from. All we could choose from was either a Potato Burger or a Subway sandwich. Somehow Subway sandwich was too depressing food for a beautiful Friday rainy night cab ride. So we choose 3 Potato Burgers, a medium fries and a half a litre of Coke (half a burger for Madam and the rest was for me - like I said, I was really hungry). We had about 1 hour to kill together in the cab, from our office to drop her home first and then I would take the cab to my place which would be another 20 minutes more. The food would last less than 15 minutes so I started a conversation by asking her if she got a chance to read my story - 'Epic Shit - Part 1'. Her reply actually surprised me as she said in an instant - "Yes". I had shared the story with her in the evening like a few hours ago and I knew she was very busy, yet she found time to read my story (Wow! - I felt privileged yet angry - Now I know why she made me wait outside in the rain!). I asked her the dreaded questions (Half way through the first burger) - "How was the story? Did you like it?". Madam's reply made me blush - "It was amazing. You have a fan in me. I can't wait to hear the 'Part 2' of the story.". I pinched myself to see if this was all a dream (she gave a weird reaction at me pinching myself - Hello! I learned it from cartoons and it actually works there!). I took the praises very modestly and told her that 'Part 2' was coming soon.

However, she wanted to hear the story in advance. I hadn't actually thought what I would write, but she said please in a manner that I couldn't refuse. We had a long journey to home (I realised that the girl has an appetite! - She had completed a whole burger and was about to put her fingers on my fries) I decided to tell her the tale, making up the story (trying to distract her from my food).

'Plan B' (Continued)

I got out of the washroom and went back to my table were my friends were waiting. Mukesh had this great knack of ordering the best dishes where ever we go and this time he order a 'Galouti Kebab'. It was the tastiest 'kebab', I had had in my life (or was I too drunk?). Me and Mukesh were so mesmerised by the food that we almost forgot our friend - Harry and his amazing love story. We looked at him and he had an angry look on his face which made us take our hands out of the 'Kebab' plate (the food was so tasty that we decided it would be criminal to eat it with spoon, fork and knife).

So, Harry went on about his story of how the past 2 months were the best 2 months of his life. He used to meet his 'Girlfriend' daily in office and they behaved normally as friends because they didn't want any of their office colleagues to know about them. They met every weekend and went for movies, theme parks and exploring the city for new food outlets (Asshole! Never took us for food safaris - He won't even let us complete the 'Galouti Kebab'). All of a sudden he got a call from his 'Girlfriend' and he excused himself for one minute. We used this as an opportunity to finish the food on our table and ended up waiting for 15 minutes. We couldn't see what the problem was with this guy. The best guess was that he had some petty fight with his 'Girlfriend'. He finally joined us and realised that we were losing our patience and thus jumped right to 'Twist' part of the story.

After dating this girl for 2 months, he realised that he was in love with another girl (I know this does not sound like some major 'Twist' as this happens far too frequently). The girl Harry was in love with was his school mate who he hadn't met or talked with for 10 years or so. Her name was Divya (Bhabhi) and he studied together with her in Class 10th (Yes! Just one year). He had a huge crush on her but never had the courage to approach her. Now that he was with someone else he realised that he was actually in love with Divya (Bhabhi) and not his 'Girlfriend' (This is the EPIC SHIT part of the story!!!). Me and Mukesh were looking at Harry in disbelief. I started thinking how crazy he was. This guy was in a relationship with someone and she seemed like a nice girl from his descriptions (and very cute by the pictures).

I looked at the watch - It was already 11 pm. The disadvantage of going out with friends on days other than a Friday is that we all had to go to office the next day and so it was time to leave. So, I ordered for the bill as Harry's tale was looked like a never ending one. The waiter was about to arrive and Mukesh realised that he needed to take a nature's call (I am sure most of us have that one friend who always has something urgent that comes up at the time of paying the bill - like an urgent phone call or has to pee etc. Mukesh is not at all like that - He genuinely has to pee sometimes or has an urgent phone call and coincidently the bill is to be settled at the very moment in time, everytime. One time he even had a genuine false alarm heart attack which got over after the bill was paid).

After settling the bill the 3 of us went downstairs to leave for our respective homes. We had one problem with us - We had one bike and 3 passengers. Harry was slim, I was healthy (let's say) but Mukesh was big almost 120 kgs (Only if he hadn't followed that 10 second rule his entire life). It was too late for the metro and cab was too expensive. So we went the 'old school way' and decided for tripling with 30 kms of highway driving (and we were all drunk). I was the leader of the group (and I had the keys), so we concluded that I would drive, Harry in the middle and Mukesh at the back with more than half his butt in the air. We started our journey back home (with very valuable assets getting squished - This was a bad idea) and Harry misused his seating position to narrate the rest of his tale. He realised his love for Divya (Bhabhi) and stalked her over social media. He sent her requests on Facebook and Instagram. He noticed that she had promoted a restaurant in Sector 42, Gurgaon which he concluded was owned by her family and wanted to go there (it was the middle of the night) to meet her. The advantages of driving the bike was that I could decide the destination and so we were heading home. Harry had a few swear words to say to me for while but stopped as I accidentally drove the bike into a small pit damaging his valuable assets which were already squished (hurting my own assets too - bad idea part 2). I dropped both my drunk friends to their respective homes and then went to my home.

Search for Sector 42

Over the course of the next month Harry avoided one to one conversations with us stating that he was drunk that night and was not in his senses. Although we didn't believe him but we let it be, thinking may be our friend needed his space and time. Harry completed his 3 month anniversary with his 'Girlfriend'. Now he started to give relationship advise to The Group (Big mistake he soon realised). There is dialogue in 3 idiots - "Dost fail ho jaye toh dukh hota hai ... lekin dost first aa jaye toh zyada dukh hota hai". Paraphrasing the dialogue - When our friend was having a love life crisis a month ago, we sympathised with him. But when the same friend completes his 3 month anniversary and brags about it and starts giving relationship advice - let's just say Harry limped back home with a stiff back and a sore butt.

Another month passed and once again Harry had news for us. He got a job offer from an MNC in Mumbai (to be a corporate slave with a higher package in a different city basically). And he decided to take the offer and had resigned from his current office. This wasn't the real news, the real news was that he had broken up with his 'Girlfriend'. He said - "Long distance relationships don't last". I went into a thought chain as I ran the incidents in my mind. He befriended her and made her his 'Girlfriend', realised his long lost love for Divya (Bhabhi) and broke up with his 'Girlfriend' all in the span of 5 months and as I looked at Mukesh, I felt that he was thinking something similar.

Another month flew by and it was Harry's last day in the city. Harry wanted reunion at 'Plan B' one last time. Mukesh and me accepted the invitation and we met their on a Saturday (we realised that rest of the world have actual lives and visited cafes and lounges on a Saturday. And thus, the whole place was empty. 3 waiters came to our table to take orders). We quickly made our usual orders and decided to focus our attention on the man of the hour - Harry. Somehow I felt that his motive was more than just a nostalgic visit. Harry didn't wait this time and started his story where he left off. He wanted to update us on the recent developments of his story. I realised that we were the only 2 people he could talk about his love life crisis.

Harry had sent friend requests to Divya (Bhabhi) but in vain as she hadn't accepted it. To add to that, he got in touch with his old school mates to get Divya's (Bhabhi) number. He managed to track her best friend - 'Best Friend' and befriended her and found details about Divya (Bhabhi). I know he comes off as a stalker and a weirdo but I was very impressed with this guy (now I realised that it wasn't just the MS Excel skills he used to impress his 'Girlfriend'). He had spent 2 months tracking old school friends, who he hadn't spoken in a decade. Mukesh too was impressed and ordered 3 tequila shots to commemorate our friends efforts. After our 3 (x 3) tequila shots Harry confessed that he broke up with his 'Girlfriend' because he felt like he was cheating on her emotionally as he loved somebody else although he was in a relationship with his 'Girlfriend '. He felt that it was better to break her heart than to cheat on her by staying with her (Relationships are complicated!!).

As Harry went to take a nature's call, Mukesh and I looked at each other thinking - "Who is this guy and what has he done with our friend Harry". He was a fun loving guy who always acted over-confidently and immaturely and had no care or worry in life. For the first time we met the new mature Harry and were taken aback. We realised that relationships can change a man and duration of relationship doesn't matter. Harry came back and continued, that he had found Divya's (Bhabhi) contact number but didn't want to call her. He didn't want to come off as a stalker / weirdo in front of her. He was willing to let his love go rather then come off as a stalker (Respect level 1000).

We sat in silence for a while (including the 3 waiters who were now very intently listening to Harry's story). Mukesh broke the silence and said that we would not let our friend's love go in vain and swore that he would help Harry any way he could to meet his long lost love. I too felt motivated and agreed with Mukesh and offered help. But we had no clue of what to do. There was a silence again and all of a sudden, one of the waiters (also motivated by Mukesh's enthusiasm) spoke up and suggested that we should go to the restaurant at 'Sector 42' and that maybe he would find her there. Maybe Harry could muster up the courage this time and confess his love for her. Five minutes after drawing up a master plan,3 drunk men and 3 weird waiters all walked downstairs singing - "Zindagi aa raha hu me" (somehow seemed the most appropriate song) to the bike parking. Before we go ahead, just wanted to clarify that this song means - I am coming, Zindagi and not - I am cuming, Zindagi (Perverted minds).

Although we had each our own bikes, but still we decided that we would all go in the just one bike (No we are not gay!). The seating arrangement was the same as last time. I must say the song was very catchy as we ended up singing the song for the rest of the journey and louder as we got closer. Mukesh was holding the phone in his hand with 'Google Maps' and providing us directions. We reached 'Sector 42' market in 20 minutes and searched every shop but the restaurant couldn't find it. Harry became a little nervous and frankly so were we. We decided we were not going to give up and started asking every shop vendor about this family restaurant but nobody had heard of it. I remembered Harry saying that he heard about the restaurant from 'Facebook'. So, I asked him to check details of the restaurant from the webpage. He followed my instructions quickly (with shaky hands) and found that the name of the restaurant was 'Divya's'. Somehow I found the name funny and had a couple of wise ass jokes to crack but choose not to do it considering the seriousness of the situation. I rechecked the 'Facebook' page and found that it was located near 'Sector 42' market. My friend "the genius" forgot to read a relevant word. So the restaurant was not located her but was nearby. The real question remained unanswered - Where was the restaurant? There was a contact number of the restaurant but nobody answered and we could not find the restaurant anywhere else on the internet (What generation was this restaurant set up in- 1950s?).

When all hope was lost a Sardarji out of nowhere walked towards us and asked us what were we searching for. We were too stressed to realise that he was actually being nosy. I told him that we were looking for the restaurant named Divya's. He told us that there was a market nearby in sector 33, where there were food outlets (That's when I felt like miracles do exist). We decided to continue our journey and the song restarted - "Zindagi aa raha hu me" (my god! that song was catchy).

On the way to the restaurant, a thought just struck my mind. In 'Plan B' today, my friend never even mentioned about 'Sector - 42' restaurant. Infact, the topic of the restaurant was discussed last time and that too while we were on the bike. How could the weird waiter know about the restaurant? And again when all hope was lost a Sardarji guided us to this place. Something about this all was mysterious. Was it a divine intervention or a satanic plot? I decided to keep my thoughts to myself .

We finally found the market and it was nothing like we imagined. It was a small complex in the middle of an industrial area. The complex was a shady and dark and it looked like all the shops were either closed or unoccupied. It was like one of those complexes from the horror movies where people enter (and get stuck inside with a ghost or serial killer waiting for them inside) and never come back. I felt now that it was a satanic plot after all. I also remembered that I had forgotten to go to the temple which my mother asked me to go (I was surprised how the human mind works at such a time). Harry kissed his cross as we were entered into the complex and Mukesh took out a Kitkat from his pocket and ate it like it was his last (Asshole! Didn't even share it). We searched the complex one shop at a time and were almost half way through when we finally saw a shop with lights on. But there was nobody inside it (Is this the way I die?). We stopped to have a strategic meet. We had come this far and won't return half way and thus decided that we would complete our search of the whole complex. We were horror / slasher movie buffs and had seen numerous times that everytime someone gets separated from the herd, the person died and eventually one by one everybody (but there were always Hot girls in these movies - Where are they now. The least I deserved for helping out a friend was to die with a hot girl next to me). We decided that we would stay together no matter what. A few alleys down the line I heard a sound and looked back to see that there was nobody. I decided not to go looking for the sound (See! I am smart).

We almost reached to the end of the complex when we saw a flickering light on the only shop that was open and there an old man sitting in the shop. We moved towards him (holding our hands together - This doesn't make us gay. We were just scared.) and asked him about the restaurant. He said that was the restaurant we were standing at. We looked up and realised that he was right and we had finally arrived at the destination and let go the hands (Men holding each other's hands is so gay!). He innocently asked us for our order and Mukesh jumped to take charge (as always).

While Mukesh decided the food order, I decided to do some enquiry and asked who was the owner of the shop. The old man confessed that he was the owner of the shop and he had named it after his daughter. I asked him about why the shop was located at such a shady place instead of a nice complex like 'Sector - 42' but Harry (now realising that we might be talking to his future father-in-law) interrupted and said that the restaurant was looking very nice (I don't think even the old man believed this lie). He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his sweat from his forehead and started making small talk with the old man. I suppose the old man didn't have so many customers because he answered every question with a smile on his face. Harry showed why he was the only one to have a girlfriend. He befriended the old man in little time. The old man told us that he had 2 daughters and the younger daughter was pursuing her graduation. He had our full attention (Mukesh's attention too although he was focusing more on Masala dosa in the old man's hand). The older daughter [Divya (Bhabhi)] was working in a call centre in Gurgaon. I saw a smile on the face of Harry due to some unknown reason.

Harry highlighted the coincidence that the old man's older daughter was his classmate. The old man with enthusiasm (innocently) told Harry that Divya (Bhabhi) was getting married the next month. He even invited the 3 of us to the marriage. The smile on Harry's face was soon gone. Harry reaction was surprising as he didn't speak much after that. I don't know what Harry went there looking for but I suppose her getting married made him realised how foolish he was searching for a girl he loved a decade ago. Or maybe he thought that her getting married was the closure he came looking for. I didn't ask because I felt that some questions are left better unanswered.

We finished our food and paid for the meal where Harry tipped generously (and we didn't protest) and we walked back to the bike. The journey back was silent and somehow time flew by very fast. We went to 'Plan B' and collected our respective bikes and headed to our respective homes. We came to drop Harry off at the airport the next day. We gave him a tight hug before he was leaving. The last thought that came to mind as I saw him vanishing into the crowd was that maybe it was not a divine intervention or a satanic plot. Maybe it was all just a coincidence.

Epilogue

I completed the narrative of my story to Madam and just realised that we were about to reach her home. She smiled at me but something was not right. I asked her if she liked it and she said yes. I also asked her if readers would like a sad ending (I do have like 10 readers now). She said - "Always remember that people come to hear your story. You should write how you want to write because you are the story teller." We had reached her place and she got down walked home.

As I started my journey to my home, I got a text message from Madam saying that although she had heard the story in advance but she still would love to read it when I it pen down. I made a self note that I would complete this story over the weekend the same way I had described it. But a thought kept bothering me of how I should end the story. I had less than 10 minutes left to my place when my phone rang. It was from Harry (Another coincidence!). I hadn't told him yet about the story I had written based on his life. So I decided to take this chance and tell him the truth. He asked me to share the story with him and so I obliged and shared 'Part 1'. He read my version of the story and called back. He laughed over the call and said that he really liked my version of the story and asked about my plans of 'Part 2'. I told him that I wanted to keep the original ending and not just some made up ending for the readers (Now I had 11 readers!). He told me that it was my choice as it was my story. He said he had actually called me to tell me that he was planning to come to Delhi soon and wanted to go to 'Plan B'. We talked a little as usual and soon said our goodbyes. Just as I was going to disconnect the call Harry said one last thing - "When we meet the next time, I might have a 'Part 3' for you" and giggled. It brought a big smile on my face and I decided not to probe further. I suppose Harry had a Plan B to his story after all. I thought to myself that maybe miracles do exist and that it was maybe a divine intervention after all.