A journey to remember

 During those days no one ever enjoyed reaching college late as you had to stand out during the prayers while the teaching and non-teaching staff mock you while entering the class. If director notices you coming late, you also get a chance to invite your parents to college. We never understood what a parent can discuss with college authorities in the event of their ward coming late. Nevertheless the drama continued and was a popular scene in our college. Many of my friends used to travel to college together with other classmates or batch mates. Though I enjoyed company of my mates, I found myself often travelling alone to college. This was mainly as I had to complete quite a few responsibilities before embarking on my journey to the temple of knowledge.

Punctuality is a deadly habit which joins our lives as an after effect of all the experiences and challenges during formative years and it never leaves your side until your last breath. For a beginner practicing punctuality, reaching few minutes before the required time was a good start. College lecturers always encouraged such students and these students had a special place in their heart. Years of mastering being on time, often leads us to practice to reach right on time. Neither one minute early nor a minute late. This is what the world aspires to be and often falls short. 

My bicycle was my last mile connectivity which pedalled me to the bus stop from home and back. Parking the bike was a challenge by itself and led me to have good fights with various shopkeepers near bus stop who found it a menace. Once had to upset one of my friend’s dad as I was leaving my bike in front of his restaurant daily and he lost space for a customer’s motorbike as per his argument. To be fair to me, this poor man’s two wheeler was parked as if it was a hand painting drawn by the socialist parties during an election campaign that happened a decade back. The colour of the bicycle was deep red which mimicked a party sign when left almost folded and crumbled to eat least space possible. As a challenge to the owner of the space, I had left the bike there for couple of years every working day and retaliating to the response I had given up eating in his restaurant even though it was the best one in town where people used to visit from far away places. It’s all my loss when I look back but glad bicycle stayed safe as nothing escapes the owner’s hawk eyes. 

All the cycle drama was to be ready on time for Alex Mon. Almost all the buses stops at my bus stop except few limited stop buses. Alex Mon was one of them. I had to take another bus and get down at next stop and wait for Alex Mon. It was always a gamble as Alex Mon would come on time but in my mind I was doubtful whether I would make it to next stop on time for him. Some rainy days when catching two buses gets messy, I had ended up missing Alex Mon which made me mostly have a bad start to the day. There are times when I see Alex Mon with his boxy body over taking my connection bus even when it was just one stop distance. As much I was upset missing it, I did admire the way Alex Mon overtook with speed and valour. 

Every time I entered Alex Mon, it gave me a sense of victory as if a battle is already won on my daily campaign. Alex Mon seems to be other worldly as I would later believe as every time I entered I had almost always seen same set of people sitting in the same seat and standing same way as if it was leaked video of North Korea with fake cities. I kept thinking how is it possible that I am the only visitor to this film set of a bus. I could recognise the couple sitting behind the ladies seat probably married now, the aunties going to work, the uncles discussing politics and football, the college gangs proudly talking about their love exploits, the odd crack guys who only spoke movie and football, the bus conductor who was always singing and whistling as if to impress some womenfolk who gives him a smile knowing they need him to ring that bell to stop when they show their hands and can never forget that pregnant lady who was probably pregnant whole 2yrs while I took the bus. As it was a limited stop bus, there was always ample space to move around as it demanded higher ticket price and lesser stops. I would often get seat after two stops and now that I had even learned who gets down where which led me to strategise my seat markings and the place to stand to get to seat first in case anyone who doesn’t know the pattern manages to get into Alex Mon and ruin the plot. 

There were many buses which was running limited stop and destined to my college stop which was the last bus stop in the route. However Alex Mon’s speciality was that it was the only bus which ran through the highway cutting the journey short by a good 25Mins. Who couldn’t want to travel the distance and reach 25mins sooner than otherwise to a college which worried about who came when? I would not miss that opportunity, the biggest risk being in case I miss Alex Mon, I would end up reaching 30Mins late as my goal was to always reach on dot not too early to engage in gossips and too late to gather attention. Alex Mon never fell sick and never missed a day. He was always on time and had the same airy feel inside with no rush during peak hours too. Alex Mon often made me believe the driver really had a hanuman gear which he puts only once he enters by-pass road which connects to highway taking the bus to unimaginable speeds. Every lady passenger who got down from the bus had to find a corner to comb their hair back to shape and boys like me enjoyed the ride as we get a free hair setting by the time we get down. Even though he drank diesel for power, never smoked like other buses and continued to amaze me through out my college time. The name stayed back in my heart and the experience too. I remember that I often personified Alex Mon so much that some of my friends really thought it was a real person. 

Setting foot on the bus stop once I reach college area made me feel like Columbus who landed in America only that I felt the sense of achievement daily and always looked back at Alex Mon before I start my walk to college from the bus stand and he stood their smiling back at me and wishing me the best of luck for a great day and life later.