Miss You !

Sitting idle in office, waiting for a release which will not happen soon, I look at my Desktop and smile meekly. No its not because I am happy about being jobless for some limited hours. It’s the wallpaper that makes me feel good. No no no!!! It’s not some super hot actor [that smile would have been naughty :P ] , it’s the sparkling red Ferrari Spider gleaming amidst flashbulbs going agog. Talking of that, I can’t help wondering , was it my mother's call some 10 minutes back that made me happy?

Ever since my mother asked me not to set foot into the house till my lil sister finishes all possible 12th exams [ and yes they are a real lot!] , I have been feeling a sense of longing for home which otherwise isn’t all that strong, I must accept. I talk incessantly to my mother. I discuss monetary and other logistical matters [:P] with my father every second day. I talk nonsense to both my sisters [that is if they let me talk though : D]. Still something keeps bothering me.

I am just 24 freight-hours or 2 air-hours or 20 road-hours away from home. Also the revolutionary changes that have come into effect in our telecom industry , no I am not talking of the 3G scam for a change ;) , have helped my cause. I am always hanging out with friends, doing nonsense, trying and enjoying every moment. But the second I am alone my head takes off in a direction totally unknown. Slowly but surely I start thinking of the good ole days.

Everything comes flying back. Digging into Aai's delicious fish. Arguing with Baba about how pathetic our Indian team is playing [He is an incorrigible optimist when it comes to Men in Blue], getting pampered by Atya. Fighting with Sarika [we fight like wild cats], playing in the water clogged streets with Swati [it is super fun jumping in knee-deep water as if the world wasn’t watching].

Meeting friends at odd hours. Talking over phone as if there were no tomorrow [and no bill to be paid :P ] The streets I loitered in for years together. The maddening morning rush in the local trains. The streets smelling of everything from vada pavs to dosas, dhoklas to samosas , masala pav to chicken kebabs. The familiar looking ticket conductors, the groups of ladies singing songs in the trains, the colours of Dadar market , the hues of chowpatty sunset, the walk down Marine Drive.

I left a part of me behind in Mumbai. No doubt making a horcrux would have been really painful for you-know-who. Every call from anyone in Mumbai brings back everything in one go. The breath seems too short to take in the smell of the city. My heart feels heavy, the words I utter become unclear and my eyes moisten just reminiscing the 22 years of my life as "Those were the best days of my life".