Wuhoo! Road trip!

Tarun, Mansha, and I set out on a Monday afternoon to collect our smart cards from Microsoft office in Kalina. Tarun commented, "Let’s drive down there; it shouldn't be difficult to find the office.” Having been lost quite a few times on drives with her husband Abhinav, Mansha thought it prudent to have at least some sense of direction. So, she called up Abhinav to ask for directions. We buckled up, and Mansha cried, "Wuhoo! Road trip!” And then began the quest for good songs to listen to on the different FM channels. Predictably, we couldn’t agree on one channel to listen to. If Tarun stopped punching the stereo’s buttons, Mansha would cry, “Change!” which was my cue to punch the buttons.

Clearly, Tarun hated traffic and traffic signals and expressed his displeasure with frequent “tsk tsk.” We were on the lookout for a CST road, and after enquiries with a few rickshaw-waalas, we finally arrived there only to find auto garages on either side of the road! Nevertheless, we bravely forged ahead and spotted the office soon enough. Tarun’s “tsk tsk” had been increasing at a steady pace, and Mansha and I were getting worried about this. After all, our lives were in his hands! We entered Microsoft’s office and were seated at the reception while the security got our smart cards. Tarun was punching his mobile phone buttons angrily. Mansha and I exchanged very worried looks then. We got our cards, and walked toward the car. Mansha told, “I am not sitting next to him!”

We were on the expressway when I caught Tarun yawning. I panicked and said, “Please don’t fall asleep; I will keep talking to you for the rest of the drive.” He laughed! He was showing signs of normalcy, finally. We reached Spectra and found a parking spot near Axis bank. A Honda City was blocking the spot, though. When Tarun honked, the driver of the Honda City coolly parked his car in that spot! That was so mean! Tarun started, “What the…” and stepped on the accelerator with a vengeance. He was so red! Thankfully, we found a spot near Aromas and parked the car. Never have I been glad to step out of a car!

Wisdom gained from this road trip:

1.      Tarun learned that I speak a lot via the OCS and not in person.

2.      I learned the delicate task of punching the stereo buttons without disturbing the guy-behind-the-wheel changing gears.

3.      Mansha and I agreed that we would never drive along with Tarun.

4.      I learned that Mansha loves drives even if they are interspersed with traffic jams.

5.      My belief that all men feel good when they are behind the wheel proved to be wrong.