"You know what I missed in Amsterdam???? This.. This is what I missed..."

We both turn back to look at Viks. He had comfortably placed himself in the back-seat with a news paper on his lap. I am at the navigator's seat, and for once, Nidhi is driving without cussing. We had been driving for almost 3 hours, and the road has been the best we have travelled so far.. Small wonder that 'Unshakeable' was purring so smoothly. We are on our way to Mangalore and the scenery is picturesque.

"What do we have guys?? Another 2 years or so?" asks Viks.
"Buddy!!! I am trying my best to push it to a year and half. Don't think I will be able to last more than that... What about you Rita?" Nidhi chimes in.
"I don't know.." All I could do is smile.

All of us are under tremendous pressure to move into 'grahasthaashrama'. An end to bachelorhood. Too long have we been clinging to the post of the 'most-eligible-bachelor' of our families. A tag that we all have cherished wearing on our sleeves. Don't want to think of the end.. No.. Not yet.. It would be hard to think of a life without these friends; without Nidhi's constant "How do I look?" nag looking into the mirror; without Viks constant "oh man.. oh man.. oh man.." everytime we overtake a 10 ton truck. Through the years, they have grown to be a part of me. "Your friends make you so complete that I think you have not found the necessity for a female companion in your life.", someone had said to me once. I had had never the chance to mull over it. Maybe it is so. Maybe it is not. Maybe I don't want it to be just any other female. Maybe...

aw.. shucks.. This is the time to enjoy the drive.. Not the time to think of the end.. Not yet.. Not now..

‘YAAAAHOOOOOO…’

Naa.. That wasn’t any jungle war cry; or Tarzan swinging through the tree-tops… That was my inmate Viks (Vikram) announcing his arrival in Bangalore. It’s been a whole 3 months since Viks left for Amsterdam.. Viks and Nidhi (my other inmate) are real soul-mates.. They just can’t have enough of each other.. Enough of swearing on each other.. “You face looks like the under of my foot; you dingbat..” “Oh yeah?? Whatever happened to your hair?? Stuck your head in a copper cauldron??”

I used to look up to going home each evening…

For the past 3 months, life had hit a lull with no much entertainment.. Viks left to Europe on some official trip… My brother left for Muscat… And Nidhi had hit a trough… (must have something to do with one of his umpteen girlfriends) Our weekend trips to faraway lands too started reducing drastically.. Add to that all this my tough work schedule; and you would can imagine the state I was in.. The only solace being the occasional meetings with a friend of mine..

But no more.. Viks is back.. Nidhi seems to have patched up… both are into their original cussing habits… (ahhh… Music to my ears…) and plans are being chalked out for future expeditions…
Life.. is like a wheel… It will always come back on top…

“saala.. tumhaara mobile mil bhi jaaye na; to main usko phek doonga..” says he.
“Thank goodness.. I do not have to bear its sight anymore..”, says she.
“jisko mila uski kismet phooti…” says another.
“Pal.. It was jinxed.. It’s charging sticks used to run even not being charged..”, yet another.
“Everytime I called, you say battery is low… If you don’t want to speak to me, then why don’t you just say so..” and yet another.

uh!!! Not the exact sentiments that you would like to hear when you have just lost your mobile… But nevertheless.. Can’t blame them folks.. Can’t blame them.. How can they know what ‘Unbreakable’ means to me… Unbreakable.. My companion for most of the last three and a half years… Fallen down (crash!! bam!! bang!!) umpteen times, but never broken into more than 5 pieces; sweat in the sun; drenched in the rain; soaked wet in a pool of water; with never a groan. Yup… That’s Unbreakable for you.. Never mind the more than occasional breaks on an important call.. never mind the vibrator mode giving up on you just when you want it.. never mind the bulkiness in your pocket and the discomfort of carrying it around.. never mind…

Well!!! On second thoughts… Well!!! Why did I never mind??? No.. definitely not ‘stingy’ folks.. Definitely not… ( whom am I consoling?? ;o) )

Time I let off Unbreakable.. Don’t you think?

I am in my hometown Mangalore, on vacation. Usually, most of the evenings would go off roaming the length of breadth of Mangalore with my friends. This time though, I stayed at home almost all the evenings, except the wandering into the ice-cream parlors. My version of 'home-alone' was not by choice, but by chance. Happens that most of my bike-savvy friends are all out of town.

I did meet one of my closest friends today.. He too, has a weakness for ice-creams. Small wonder, that the manager's eyes were lit up like a 10k bulb when he brought us the bill.. "Gosh buddy!!! You have aged ten years since I met you last year.. Whatever has happened to you?? Age has started catching onto you huh??" grins my friend!!! This pal-o-mine, flies down from Australia; meets me on my birthday; chats with me for more than an hour; and still forgets to wish me...

AGE!!! must really be catching onto all of us.. ;o)

And oh!! By the way folks!! This day, the 28th of March, happens to be my birthday!!! So.. It's still not late... I am still open to presents..

"Your nails are so long and so well shaped... Do you manicure them daily???" asks my colleague with a twinkle in her eyes. I look at my fingers in embarassment. All I can do is smile at her ignorace.

I have been kept so much with my work these days, that I hardly find time for the niceties of life. No early morning jogs, no chai from the local chai-wallah, no reading newspaper in the mornings, no TV in the evenings, no chatting with my roomies, no movies, no weekend trips to unknown lands...

Omigosh.. My hands just go on typing the list... Have I been missing all this? No wonder I feel drained out these days.. I have always been so vociferous in advocating that people should enjoy life; go out if you want to; watch a movie if you want to; eat a stomach if you fell like it. But have been failing in my own preachings...

Does this happen to all preachers??? ;o)