That was 2 years ago. With the phone churning out class pictures, my love for my phone kept increasing and it made me overlook all the better stuff that came my way.
Diwali offers were flowing in through the roof and my brother got tempted with one of them.
Buy a phone and get a free LCD TV.
That sounded a lot like 'buy a milk bottle and get a baby free'. He wanted the TV and he knew I was a sucker for phones. As expected, I got tempted too. Since I had to replace my phone anyway, I started thinking about all the negatives that my current phone had. Annoying joystick, hangs a lot, short-lived battery. Awesome camera though, so I'd just use it as a camera till I bought my.. err.. real camera. (That will have to wait a li'l more. For now, I have other priorities.)
I was almost considering replacing my phone I loved so much with a new 'thing' just because my Chota Hitler would get his TV?
So a couple of days ago, I was late to college on the very day when I was internal examiner for that day's vivas. I was in the bus reading 'Eclipse' on my phone and the conductor came by. I took my ticket and decided to rest my eyes till I got into the train. My stop came, I got off the bus and checked the time. I was really late. Had to tell the external examiner to leave a little late from home so that we'd both reach approximately at the same time. AND I remembered that I hadn't taken care of the phone that I had left on my lap while taking my ticket. I checked in my bag, just in case... It wasn't there.
*PANIC ATTACK*
I knew as I looked at the bus that was swiftly making way through the crowded narrow road, (something it never did when I was in a hurry to reach home), that I'd never catch up with it if I tried to chase it on my two legs that never gave me an athletics position better than second last. So, not sane enough to bother about what people on the road would think, I frantically waved to an autorickshaw and screeched as loud as I could. One of the auto drivers probably got worried and drove upto me. I jumped into it.
"Follow that bus, that bus, that.. that one." I almost pushed him to get the auto running faster.
"What happened, madam?"
"Go, go, faster, pleeeeasee!"
"Yea yea, but tell me no, madam, what happened?"
"My phone fell in it." I didn't drop it. IT FELL. Phone's fault.
He drove as fast as he could, without killing any pedestrians hurrying for work.
"Stop right in front of that bus", I was getting increasingly hopeful as we swiftly neared the bus.
Just as we overtook the bus, we turned to come in its way, but the driver did not stop his rick there.
"STOP STOP STOP!!!" I pleaded. I meant to plead but I'm sure it sounded like I'd grab his lungs out of he didn't.
"Madam the bus will run over us if I stop here!" Saying that, he managed to bring the auto at a place where he could talk to the driver and shouted in Marathi, "Madam's phone fell in the bus. Please stop."
I stuck my head out of the auto so that the bus driver could see my tortured face and feel sorry for me.
It worked. Suddenly, everyone seemed to co-operate. The bus slowed down to a stop, the auto stopped, I rushed out of the auto and into the bus to see the conductor walking towards me with my phone in his hand.
My dear phone *sniff sniff*
"We were going to deposit this at the depot," he sang calmly. Everything was music to my ears then. I'm not even sure if that's what he said because the heavenly violins playing in my head drowned his voice too.
With my head floating in the space above seventh heaven, I beamed at my 2 year old faithful companion and danced away happily to where I had to go.
"Madam!! Madam!!" Someone called out, snapping me back to reality.
Uh oh!
"At least say a thank you if you don't plan to pay me," the auto driver teased.
Aww shucks! I ran back to him with a sheepish grin, poured out a dozen sorries, completely meaning it and paid him. He laughed and thanked me and of course I thanked him too.
I'd hug my phone if it were bigger and I'd smack it too for taking revenge for my goodbye act, if it were not as fragile.
