Sunday, October 22, 2006

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

IT WAS QUITE SOMETIME THAT I'D GONE FOR A VACATION.SO WHEN I HEARD THAT MY SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW WERE GOING TO DARJEELING I COULDN'T WAIT TO JOIN THEM. HILL-STATIONS HAD ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVOURITE.
THUS ONE HOT SUMMER EVENING WE PACKED OUR BAGS AND GOT READY TO BOARD THE SUMMER SPECIAL THAT WAS TO START FROM SEALDAH STATION AT 10:40p.m. IT WAS THE TWELVTH OF MAY WHEN I LEFT MY MOTHER, HOME AND MY SWEET LITTLE TEDDY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS. I FELT BAD BUT WAS EXCITED FOR MY 1st SOLO VENTURE. THE TAXI WHEEDLED THROUGH A NETWORK OF SIDEWAYS AND SLUMS IN THE DARK ALLEYS OF BYPASS. WE SAW A WEDDING AND FACED A COMPLETE BLOCKAGE OF THE NARROW PATH,THANKS TO A HEAVILY LOADEN TRUCK. THIS CONSUMED A BIT OF OUR TIME BUT WE REACHED THE STATION ON TIME.
INSIDE THE STATION IT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD.FAMILIES WERE CHECKING THEIR LAST-MINUTE LUGGAGES AND REGISTRATION CARDS. KIDS WERE PLAYING ABOUT. SEALDAH STATION WAS AT ITS FULL VIBRANCE. ANYWAY WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG. JUST AFTER A FEW MINUTES OUR TRAIN CAME IN AND WE HOPPED ON TO THE APARTMENT.