Jumme ki raat

 It's Friday night and I had a horrible, long and tiring day at office.Finally, at 8.30pm after almost 12 straight hours of being at office and working for the day, when I got up, my slogging ass thanked me for releasing it off the pressure for a few minutes :D I expected the traffic to be better but who was I kidding? Bangalore Traffic! on a Friday night! Better?? *add a loud monstrous sarcastic evil laughter* MY FOOT!!! Riding back, thanks to the dark streets minus streetlights, as*****s who drive with high beam within city limits and potholes which are the size of a manhole, I had numerous moments where I thought today was the last day of my life on this wretched planet but guess the universe isn't done with me yet! Finally, after what seemed an hour of riding to cover a distance well within 10kms, I almost reached home if not for spotting a newly opened cafe. And suddenly, there was this beautiful thought inside my head to go on a date with myself!! I know right! That 'Whatte Wow' moment! Because it just opened today and in a locality where not many people come out at night, the cafe was empty and looked very pretty with its bright well lit interior colour palette. 

And then there was me - their star customer for the day (or that's how I'd like to flatter myself). There were two waiters who practiced their newly trained soft skills with me and passed with flying colours :D (I'm a lenient examiner). I ordered tea from their healthy section and two cutlets because everything else on display still needed a day to be ready for the customers. It took very less time to receive the food and off I scooted to settle in their inner most corner (my way of believing that I'm going away from the world).  I decided that I will spend the next few minutes being mindful and not being drowned in my phone (Not that I have much to do on my phone anyway considering Ive been away from all social media apart from WhatsApp) and couldn't be happier with the outcome. The minutes I spent at the cafe, sitting alone, silently eating my food, sipping my chai and occasionally glancing around felt like a private, silent celebration of me! That one person who has been fighting against so many odds, still showing up and facing the world each day with a smile (how much ever forced) and a tiny amount of hope. The past year somehow reconfirmed my lifelong fears that I maybe alone in this world, but, in that thought, I found my strength as well. I have realised how there have been enough sorry figures walking into my life without having any good intentions for me and how I have been carrying on the baggage that they leave behind. I have realised that through the entire journey so far, I haven't been perfect but I haven't left trying. I haven't been entirely right but I'm still learning and if anybody has been punished for my wrongs, the biggest shareholder of that punishment has still been me. Finally, I have realised that I have never cut enough slack for myself, the only soul, that inner voice that stood by and guided me through it all! Today, I had the most beautiful date I've ever had in my life for I embraced and hugged myself in a very long time. The girl I met today was pretty because she had not let the outer world or the mishaps in her life turn her bitter in her core, she was pretty because SHE IS! 

On my way out I chatted with the two waiters who are potential friends already :) One who has promised to make my chai a little less healthy the next time around and the other who has offered to give me company if he saw me alone next time! While I was leaving, I congratulated the two for the opening of the cafe where they'll go on to work for the next how many ever days or months, serving good food to many more customers like me and making their day just a little more better. And while they thanked me and smiled their infectious innocent smiles at me - my Friday had turned from a horrible one to a magical one!

Good night and happy weekend to whoever reads this :)