Train Of Thought: Sathyam Cineplex

[Surya]

"Oru Kings kudunge..." I place change of six rupees on one of the eroding metal lids of the glass jars lined up at the edge of the counter at the small smoke shop located at the front entrance of Sathyam Cinemas. The old man whom I often feel has hated me since first sight picks up the change and counts them in his palm.

"7 Rupees..." He says with the signature animosity which I never understood, nor care to understand anymore. I reached into my pocket and grabbed a 2 rupee coin.

"Oru Boomer kudunge..." I said as I place it on the lid and look down the street. Civics, Audis, Marutis, BMWs, Auto Rickshaws, Cycles and Pedestrians scattered all over the street in no specific order or recognizable pattern. It's a miracle more people don't die on a daily basis in this chaotic battle to commute. The shopkeeper places the cigarette and bubble gum on the lid and continues to read the newspaper. "DMK Karunanidhi to stage protest for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils," read the headlines. I grab the cigarette and light it. The old **** couldn't do shit for the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka when in power, who the *** cares what he does now when he's a shriveled prune? Sure, he's been a shriveled prune for years, but now he's a shriveled prune with no power on Policy. A grape basking in the heat of the sun for hours which has now turned into a raisin. I pull in my first puff of smoke for the day. "Ahh... fresh air..." It had been hours since my last 'Fag' as they call it here in India. I had woken up this morning, bunked college, to see this god awful film called "Engeyum Kadhal" with my girlfriend. She hates it when I smoke on days that I spend with her. The stench of tobacco gives her a headache she says, She can't even come near me for a kiss she says. I looked at The King, who had already sacrificed half of himself to give me a momentary sense of relaxation. We all have issues with our Priorities... I take in another puff and wipe the droplets of sweat away from my forehead. I thought of a question which I had repeatedly asked my uncle before coming to India. "Adhu eppidi mama india-le poyi dhum adikareenge? Andha veyille how can you even tolerate it?" To be honest I didn't know how I was tolerating it now. If Mama had caught me now, he would beat me to a pulp at the gates of Sathyam, like I had made lewd comments about his mother... if I wasn't his Nephew that is, why would I make lewd comments at my grandmother? I took another puff and looked at my watch. 4:37pm. My phone vibrates, and I read the message saying, "Hey! I reached, are you still smoking stupid? Don't spend the rest of the night there, catch a auto and go back to hostel! Bloody one day cancer only you'll get" Should it bother me that I find her text-accent attractive? I think about something to do with Priorities again, but can't pinpoint it at the moment. I stub the rest of the cigarette and signal for an auto.

"Enge sir?" The scrawny man with a mullet sitting in an auto asks.

"Porur, Ramachandra..." After about a minute of pointless bullshit and bargaining, I get inside and reply to the messege. The auto driver makes small talk asking me about the fees, and if I'm studying or working at the Hospital. I reply to him and he begins his life story... He says his name is Gilbert Raj and he wants to know if I will take offence to a question. I said no, as he commences.

"Oru doctor-a irundhuttu neengaley dhum adikalaama sir?" I hate this question, it sickened me. It sickened me because I didn't have a valid answer to give him other than "I started in first year of college and was never able to give it up.." So that's what I tell him. He responds telling me he knows how bad addiction can be, at the age of 8, he started smoking beedi, 11 alchohol, and 13 he was introduced to ganja. So here I was, sitting in an auto driven by Gilbert Raj, my senior in bad habits, who is about to begin his lecture which will apparently reform me and save me from Cancer. Cynicism... another bad quality that started in College.

To Be Continued...

What do you think? Just got bored of describing choreographed fight scenes, stories involving pistols, bats and sarcasm... so thought I'd try something different. Maybe boring, if so lemme now, I shall take it in a different direction.

[NOV]

Interesting... do continue. Lets see where this leads