Sunday, January 24, 2016

My heart beats like a drum.

I know it has been long. I know it has been a long time coming. I know I have been a slave to the world. We all are in our own quaint ways because the alternative is living in the jungle all by ourselves, pooping by the stream OR NOT, you may require the fodder for the sake of fertilisation among other things. HA HA HA. I know when I am being funny.

But the great news is that I am back and there is just so much that has happened over a rather short space of time. Life has a wonderful way of surprising oneself, WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT IT!

So I have been busy reminiscing on so many events and so many charming, heart warming memories about people. It's always about people isn't it? I don't pay my respects and kudos to my samsung Note 5 even though it is one deserving device indeed. (Except when it comes back on after a cold boot). I recalled this one time in the year 2011 when I used to work in Islamabad and was taking a taxi from my work back home in Rawalpindi. I was working on a Sunday and the hours were bloody nonsensical as we had to work with the American markets so I was the chosen zombie for the prestigious role. And I like to think I always see the glass half full FYI.

So that day after a year of toiling in that nocturnal role, I was on the ends of my wit. It happens to the best of us so please don't give me that surprising stare. Only the rock looked good with the raised brow anyways. LOL. I was cursing my stars because lucky me couldn't even find a taxi in the wee hours of the morning and it honestly felt like mother nature was playing quaint tricks to ensure that I felt more miserable than usual.

So there I was standing and waiting for ANYTHING on wheels to turn up and indeed I finally did find a nice taxi. The guy was from Abbotabbad so I reminisced with him about my lovely memories of the city and how I loved visiting it as a kid. I was lucky to have visited that picturesque town on various occasions and was reminded of the wonderful tasty water, the warm people, the afghani restaurant which served the best cooked rice in the world among other things. The driver told me he was new to the city and was hoping that he would be able to do well in this new role even though he obviously missed the mountains. You could see the glint in his eyes as he reminisced on his home town and it made me feel guilty for no odd reason as to why people are forced to leave their homes for a chance of a better livlihood.

Oddly enough, I was in his shoes quite literally having lived in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen and Lahore before coming to Islamabad. The ride was long but felt rather short-lived as we hit it off and I was feeling a wee bit better about myself in the process. Human interaction always does that to me alongside my choice of music. NOT YOURS! HMPH.

I reached home and the guy refused to charge fare but for economic reasons I made him realise that friends or not, he had to make a living and feed his family. This is precisely why he moved?! I was sleepy as hell but somehow one thing or another ensured that I wasn't able to sleep for the next couple of hours when lo and behold, I suddenly needed my phone for food delivery. Being a bachelor back in the days ensured that you never made any food EVER. Yes I am indeed one of those rotten kind of men who are too lazy to ever bother heading to the kitchen. I am sure that is some sort of genetic mutation in the very least. Bottom line : WHEN IN DOUBT, BLAME THY ANCESTORS in the very least. HA HA HA. Told ya I was funny INNIT?

Hunger was bad enough and the blood sucking realisation that my beloved apple manufactured original as ever white iphone was amiss was of little consolation. I tried and tried finding it and came to the wretched conclusion that it was gone forever as I had forgotten it in the taxi. I had skype credit and managed to finally think things through and call on my number after what felt like eternity staring blankly at the walls.

BUT...

No one picked up. The guy must be a thief. He was all talk Hasan. This is how the world is these days! You kidding me! You should not even bother and think about blocking your SIM idiot.

One more try couldn't hurt. Let's redial for my own heart's sake! AND...

The guy PICKED UP! The moment he did, he firstly apologised without knowing who it was that this wasn't his phone and when he realised it was me, he apologised again for not knowing how touch screen phones worked. He then told me that he was already on his way back and that the phone had not been found by him but another passenger who took his taxi after me.

SUCH IS LIFE. Such is the actual brutal ground-breaking reality. The taxi driver who I had made an acquaintance of for merely a half an hour returned back to give me my brand new iphone. And that was the day I though that humanity had gone astray and there was no hope for fellow man.

I never quite managed to keep his number or remain in touch. I know I suck! But I treasure this memory. I treasure that soul. And I was at a loss of words when he did return. I tried giving him some money to assuage my own bullshit and the need to 'FEEL GOOD' for thyself but that man was more of a gentleman than I gave him credit for clearly.

The lesson I took home that day was... YOU NEVER KNOW when your mind maybe blown by a complete stranger, just because you were half-decent to him/her. You never quite know the impact that one word of yours may make on someone else's life and consequently their dreams.

So do your bit and don't break someone's spirit for God may break yours. And that's only fair.

Love you all. That felt good! GOOD GOOD GOOD!

Thank you my lovely taxi driver for making me smile after all these years. May you remain blessed and away from all prying eyes and be more successful than all the rest of us.