Goodbye Auto

Murphy's Law:

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong

Rohit's corollary:

Indian railways will always run on time, when you are running late.

Auto's train was scheduled for a 12:45 pm departure from Erankulam. We were already late when we left the house at 12:20 pm. The journey to the station usually takes 40 minutes, we had only 25 B-)
We had Sujit Nair behind the wheel, the person who learnt driving when he was only 13 years old. I was at the co-driver's seat providing general navigation and abuses to the passing-by-slow-moving-drivers.
We reached Vytilla junction at 12:30 pm. It really seemed an impossibility that we would be able to reach on time. The traffic was slow moving and we had three more signals to compromise. But then all that was for the usual folks, we were blessed.
On enquiry an innocent bike driver revealed that there was another stealth route to the south station, which went from below the Kadvanthara flyover. We took that route and reached the last platform of Ernakulam South station. The clock read 12:45 pm.
We took all the luggage from the Zen and put it on the ground. Sujit went to park the car, while I took Auto's rucksack (which arguably weighed around 20 kilos) and Auto carried one suitcase and one cardboard box.
We were at the entrance when there was this announcement:

"Train number 2617. .... Ernakulam - Hazarat Nizammudin... Mangla Express.... is on ... platform number.... 1"

We had time... or so I thought.
I burst into a slight jog (I couldn't run due to the weight of the rucksack), jumping and dodging passerbys, trolleys, weighing machines, trains, engines, railway tracks, dogs, people's excreta. (This was the part where Job Bon Jovi's "It's my life" was running in the background) I crossed one platform by jumping the track, then another by going through a train. The next platform though, had a train on it and all the doors were closed. I was forced to take the "flyover" (for lack of a better expression). Auto was following me somewhere, but I couldn't see him behind me. As soon as I reached the top of the "flyover" there was another announcement, which sent shivers down the Auto's spine:

"Train number 2617.... Ernakulam - Hazarat Nizammudin... Mangla Express.... will leave shortly from Platform number... 1"

First in Malayalam, then in Hindi and then finally in English. By the time I started descending the steps of platform number 1. The engine had already blown the horn !! The train started moving. ("It's my life" was still running inside me) Bam ... I landed on the station. The train had gathered speed, but Auto and Sujit were nowhere in sight.
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Enter bullet time
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I knew what I had to do. It was not a decision which I took after a lot of thought. It was more like killing a mosquito which is sucking your blood. You just look at it, register, and kill it. It was like that.
I had to pull the chain !
I got into the train (Rucksack still on my shoulders) reached for the first chain in sight. There was a bewildered gentleman reading a newspaper whom I conveniently ignored, while I pulled the chain. The whole train shivered at the might of my hands. The train came to a sceeching halt. The reading uncle looked even more tensed. I got down and Auto came running down the steps along with Sujit. We packed him in, and asked him to vanish before the squad comes ;)
We wished him a very small goodbye before the train started on its way, once more.
The squad was clueless, after all they were struck by the master-chain-puller-of-the-east, they were looking under the AC compartments when the chain was pulled elsewhere.
I, obviously, due to my ninja training, vanished away without trace.

On retrospect, it was a good thing that we didn't have too much time to say goodbye. The lesser time, the lesser emotional we get. The lesser emotional we get, the lesser uncomfortable we feel.

Although I did give Auto a goodbye gift. I gave Auto the gift of knowledge. The knowledge that he is not a 21 year old bed wetter, but a 21 year old victim of a master prank.
I hope he liked my gift :)