A Telephone Call used to mean pressing a green button on my Motorola, my first mobile phone, and then the various contraptions that defined the term satellite communication would move the juggernaut towards a pleasant conversation with an inmate of planet earth before the red button ended the interaction. That was until I lost all my money and had to wait for people to call me, you see, incoming was free.
I had no money and was thinking of new ways of making people call me instead of me having to call them, messaging was one way, but still cost money and I was short of it, and then I started to research the topic like a proverbial bat looking for a tree to hang on to. The owl would be a fantastic synonym as well, because I stopped sleeping in the night, trying to find new ways and methods to achieve what seemed to be the impossible. During this time all my friends were busy making money, see that is the way of life, no money, no friends and no calls from them. In any case, I would plant my hiney onto the pot seat and smoke away, thinking and thinking, there would be tears in my eyes and I wasn't sure they were smoke induced or otherwise.
"Honey, wake up I need to go to office," shouted my wife, Shalini, she was always in rush, as rushy as the squirrel in the morning to make the birds move. I got up immediately and felt a flood of tears in my eyes, "What was happening ?". I had to get out of the loo room and make my way to the bedroom, she was late and I was still waiting for my phone call. I let her have the bathroom, and rushed out to see a friend of mine who was heading long distant to work. I had on my way to Ashish's car, grabbed a banana from the fruit basket, they always smoothed my dialogue delivery early in the morning. I held the car door as he was about to shut, "In a hurry, speak to you in the evening and leave the door alone or you will be as flat as a missed call" I felt a tinge of tears in my eyes, "Could this be a missed call, the "hint of tears" in my eyes ?"
In my books the only missed call is the one that rings for a second on your mobile, short enough, could be sweet enough also, if its your girl friend trying to get in touch with you. "Get your mobile from the charger," Shalini shouted on her way out, "You could be getting a call from the job consultant." How did she know, I would get a call today, how was she so sure, still thinking and leaving the thought behind, I got back in and got my mobile from the dock, there were still no calls on it. I said "bye" to her and walked away to the market, the mobile phone is a black box with strange things happening under the black box, it has, I am told millions of "Chips" on a "Motherboard". Varun my friend who runs a mobile shop had snapped back to me once, "You'll screw up the motherboard if you are not careful." I was careless I admit, though only sometimes. The marketplace appeared less crowded, Varun was busy, I could see and again I felt a tinge of tears in my eyes, walking away without talking to him, I could see an old Sardarji quietly buying vegetables from the grocery store, I too fell in line behind him. He looked at me with kind eyes and I instantly said, "Hello". "I am fine thank you," he said still kindly and I began to speak to him about the high rates of vegetables and things in general. Fruits were high, milk was adulterated and everything was being sold at exorbitantly overpriced rates, the Government was doing nothing to control price rise. Five minutes into my conversation and voila I had the first call of my day on my mobile.
"Happy!" she Said," I called."
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