The STARE

While on my way to my college today, a very weird thing happened that got me writing.

That DDLJ climax moment never seems to leave me, though there are a lot of differences. I run up to the metro station platform every morning with my feet weighing down each step of the already running escalator. I rush up to the platform only to disappoint myself and watch my metro ‘gently’ closing its doors to me and dusting off its way to heaven as I stare at it embarrassingly furiously  still gasping for breath- Damn, I’m 5 more minutes late now

And THIS is my DDLJ moment with the only exception that the doors aren’t open and I don’t have a ‘Raj’ who’d slip his hand out to me while I’m running towards him. So, today while I’d had my bit of rushing up again..too, I watched the heavenly metro descending to the metro station and because I realised that there wasn’t anyway, that I could run up to the ladies’ compartment and getting inside without embarrassing myself flat, so I decided to very elegantly and proudly walk into the general compartment. Obviously I wasn’t expecting a grand seat in honor for me awaiting my arrival, so I squeezed my  way through the heavy *AND stinky* crowd and landed in front of the already seated royalties.

Now, here the incident happened- I was very much at peace with myself when one lady started to give me that ‘aunty’ type stare. Her eyes and mine met, and only to my disgust they wouldn’t leave me anytime soon. She stared at me and then started checking me out, maybe she didn’t notice-I’m NO fancy piece! Don’t know what attracted her attention What happened after that was, err, a little unobvious(?)- the child on her lap diverted all his/her attention to me and started checking me out too! As if one pair of eyes to deal with wasn’t enough already. What was getting to me was that it made me a little uneasy- I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO REACT! Oh, how I wish I could turn sideways, but Delhi metro’s’ general compartments don’t allow you the space for that 😐 Add to that misery, I didn’t even KNOW what the child was staring at (in me)!

A few days back, a friend of mine happened to travel in the ladies’ compartment after a long time (before which we’d hugged, kissed at the Rajiv Chowk metro station to different directions). While I reached home way before she was even half way, she called me up to the story that two ‘aunty’- like creatures were staring at her. What was even more funny was what they were staring at her- her eyebrows! And as they did, they touched theirs, so to compare the threading of both! I remember having fallen off chair while exclaiming, ‘Threading- What??’ She laughed devilish-ly at the other side while telling me what was her answer to their now initiated war. What she did was simple- she stared back at them as if they were being looked upon. Instead of getting her conscious, they shut themselves up. Now, THAT was an impressive move.

Back to today morning, I decided to test the technique- I stared back at them- BOTH of them. To my horror all they did was stare me more! Uh, well, guess this wasn’t working with me so I quickly grabbed hold of an empty seat and look away to end the stare.