My 'Oh-So-Freakish' Life!

CHAPTER 2

POV MEERA:

After losing myself three times in that Bungalow I just gave up and plopped on the sofa in the drawing room. Yes, I had thankfully made it to the drawing room. Not that Mr. Super-Rich owned a huge bungalow, it was just that my geography was really weak and I had problems with grasping a new place. Sue me!

"But I know you gonna like it in my city,

Everybody's welcome here,

Everybody welcome to my city,

We got no worries here,

I know you gonna like it in my city....."

 I sat singing for a while but soon  ran out of lyrics and was only left with humming which got boring quickly. It happened everytime I tried singing. So I was left with the option of watching television. But seriously, I had not flown my way across oceans to rot in front of the idiot box, had I?

Visiting the beach down the road also seemed like a safe alternative where I could explore the new surroundings while not losing my way. Strolling in the sand with some salty air brushing my hair did not sound bad. It couldn't be that difficult to find my way to the beach.

 Come on Meera, You are a twenty-three years old independant woman and you can totally do this! 

I got up and turned to my right. The maid watering the plants looked at me in disbelief.

"The exit is right there", she said pointing in the opposite direction.

"Huh..?" How on earth did she know that I wanted to get out?

"You just murmured something about going to the beach and there was some motivational speech too." she finished bored.

"Did I just say that out loud?" I thought I was talking in my head.

She nodded and left, probably to avoid a lunatic like me. Anyway, I walked out of the CORRECT door was on the silent lane leading towards the beach.

The morning was young and the sun was in too good a mood, not burning holes through my skin. Jet lags didn't really disrupted my day here, thanks to my nocturnal habits back in New York. Haah! and they said those habits were no good. Making my way to the main road, I could smell the salty breeze and there,I could see the infinetly stretched ocean too.

The only hurdle between us was the mad traffic on the road. It looked like I had to seriously risk my life to go to the other side.

I contemplated my possible death in my head- 'A young girl died making her way to the beach!' It sounded neither tragic, nor heroic. Just lame and stupid.

Taking a deep breath, I stood at the edge of the road. My tanned legs in a pair of shorts danced back and forth for at least ten embarrassing minutes. The traffic was crazy!

As I gathered up some courage and moved an inch further, a crazy driver chose the moment to pass by me at an abnormally high speed and making me jump a step back. I could feel the sweat breaking in my palms.

"Need some help?" 

I turned to a man standing with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jogger's suit. A mop of jet black hair fell over his fore-head in a boyish manner and his eyes had a 'can't-be-missed-for-peanuts' glint of mischief. But that annoying mocking grin he had on his face washed over whatever effect his appreciable looks had.  He seemed like a nearby resident on his morning routine and apparently enjoying my pathetic situation.

"Excuse me?" I felt my hurt ego speak.

"I am heading towards the beach." He pointed to the other side of the road. Still grinning.

"Please go ahead. I am fine." I spat seriously annoyed with his mocking grin.

He flashed his pearly whites one last time before jogging away.  Call me an egomaniac but there was no way I was taking help from that moron. It also did not mean that I was a big-time loser with an 'L' on my forehead who would give up so soon. So once again I started my struggle. Well, let's say, another embarrassing set of twenty minutes passed.

"I think you should give up." That annoying idiot was back.

"I don't think it is any of your business." How annoying my life could be? " I like enjoying the beach from.. from.. here." I should have been watching television.

"The beach is more fun when you have your feet thrust ankle-deep in the bristly sand with the waves gently hitting them randomly. Trust me, I just had that experience." He winked, still mocking me.

Seriously, what was he- Some Beach-Enjoying-Expert? Okay, I had not just come up with that nonsense. It was not even one day in this new lace and I was turning into a freak.

 Why was he still standing here? Didn't he have somewhere else to be? Anywhere on this entire planet but here, watching me embarrass myself to the brim.

"Anyway, look up 'City Rhythms' tomorrow. You may enjoy it, or maybe not", he said enjoying my discomfort. What was so funny?

Before I could snap at him, he walked away. I frowned as I saw him disappear in the crowd at a distance. I strained my brain for a while to understand whatever he had just babbled but the efforts didn't take me anywhere.

So, my very first morning in India was full of interesting series of events which further proved my prediction of the year here being freakishly-freakish. I started walking back to the bungalow. Not that I had given up on my mission to make it to the beach but had just left some trials for next morning. This morning had given me an enough dose of embarrassment so my pride needed some serious bandaging and time to heal it's deep wounds.

Since I was too jobless and could do  whatever lame things that came to my mind, I decided on making a list. Yes, a to-do list:

1. Strategy to cross the road and reach the beach.

2. How to tackle the annoying idiots on Mumbai roads. (Told you I was jobless!)

3. Find out what the hell was 'City Rhythms'.

4. Probably get a job so that I don't have to make such lame lists for the rest of my year here.