the deserted station...well not as bright as the photo..it was dark.. Well missing tracks? hmm.. got busy these days and lost track of my own blog!! that is one reason y i named it so.. and the others..let me describe my recent weekend..a trip to boston from rhode island...well i was planning to go to boston since a long time...but cudnt make it for various reasons best not known by me! and finally was invited for a 3rd time to visit my cousins place for diwali..so i was all set to go there...started to boston by bus..thanx to my roomies to drop me in the bus station...it was quite scary( the bus station ofcourse!)...so got in..and i was asked to get down in boston and stand near the McDonalds.. well after an hour of silent bus jorny,i got down and started to move out of the station and as soon as i came out i saw a McD's and stood there.. time was roling...but no clue of my cousin any way around...was dying of hunger so ate some fruit( i brought it from home..what a caring roomie to pack friut ah??!)...well after filling my small pot decently..i thought my cousin totally forgot to pick me up...later thought she was stuck in traffic...or she is unable to find me...and with so many things occupying my mind..i casually asked the Mcd's guy whether therez any other McD'd there...he replied therez one more but it is in the train station...not the bus! well after a seriuos thinking for a few minutes i moved reluctantly towards the other building but cudnt find my way out of the building... got some help from a police chap there..and i got the directions.. he offered me to accompany but i posed too much and said i will be all fine and went alone downstairs and then only realized it was so deserted and my jhansi rani style of posing was way too much... i finally got out to other station and there i go, i found my cousin waiting for me..and explained her that i came by bus and not by train! but it was a communication difference bcoz of the names there... well this confusion of names dint leave me here.... i will come to this later... well so went home.. slept well.. it was diwali day!! so the telephone was buzzing so many times.. wishes..wishes and so many wishes.. did some puja( not really!!) and then ate good food... went out for a long drive...only to see the left over fall colours...and saw three movies...spent a gr8 time bowling on diwali nite... had nice indian food too... and finally yday on sunday...started back to rhode island.. my cousin dropped me in the train station this time, as she had to go else where ( bought a ticket ofcourse..good to have such cousins rite??!!) and just asked me to stay there..see the platform number and then move...well i forgot to tell u.. i did groceries in the indian stores there...and I was carrying three plastic bags full of veggies and a small travel bag and a boyish hand bag too( i know..i always carry less! u cna chk my banglore phobia..i always carry less!!) and after a hour of waiting for my train.. i heard an announcement..440 train to kingston is on track 11... i waited for a few minutes to see the track number appear on the information board..but i thought it was loud and clear..so y waste my time standing there..i can as well confirm there and get in..( well i was having a conversation with a undergraduate girl there and she said "oh u study in rhodeisland... well i am in kingston..rhode island is a nice place!" i thought she is also to kinston..and as soon as the announcement was made.she left to the track 11..and obviously it took some time for me to reach there as i have little luggage..and i was so happy after i got in to the train that i am travelling by train for the first time and cud make it easily and I was so sure as i confirmed with the tc there that the train goes to kinston..and placed my luggage inside and sat happily... i realized what i did just after that,only when the tc came in to collect my ticket! i am in the wrong train! I missed the track!! well yes the train goes to kingston..but not the one in rhodeisland but the one in MA..!and it its kingston and not kinston!! so when i asked him whether it goes to kinston ..he replied yes it goes to kingston!! and i got in happily... now came my worst fears.. i had little money left in my purse( ya..how the hell will i know i will miss the track! not a good reasoning...but yes i shud have filled my purse decently..) then what?? he asked me to get down in the next stop.. take a train back to boston..and then catch something else to rhodeisland... he said it so easily.. after a few seconds of listening to him...the only thing i asked him was..how much do u think all that costs?!!! well he answered quite quizzically that they are not going to charge anything as it was just by a mistake but i have to go back to the counter and get my ticket changed... managed a satisfactory smile and thanked him..but i wasnt sure....later ( thanx to the tc guy)he came up and told me to get down and wait there so that another train will come right in 15mins and takes me to boston and i can catch the next train to RI which is only after 2 hrs... thanked him for the info and got down in the next station... 15 mins of silence!! the subway station is deserted..dark... and therez no clue where i am staying..! i was not afraid untill i found an old man walking towards me... well exactly..u r right i remembered dil chahta hai too!! only missing memeber there was amir khan! this man was drunk and he spoke something..i didnt understand one bit of it.. he said" people say i am mad..do u think so...? i have seen many platforms like this...deserted... i have been to many places in us... i was once rich..." and he went on...all I cud answer was jus to smile( out of fear?!.. i don know out of what..)those 9 minutes or so were very silent... i don know how many curses i cursed myself..few go to my cousin who did wait till i got into the train safely.. few for not having a mobile phone in hand.. few for my own wisdom... and few to the tc idiot who said it was kingston when i showed him my ticket... and for not chking the platform number and following that stupid undergrad girl..and what else.. wasa carrying my little luggage and was runing all over with that three hand bags full of veggies.. for all the running i did bcoz of my over intelligence..i was hungry.... and my brain was working so good that i dint realize i was carrying three hand bags full of food and that i can eat some biscuits or something from them...( intelligent!!) finally..came the train to boston..and i breathed heavily...and got in..reached boston without having to pay anything.and went to the ticketing counter to change my ticket and guess what the train which i actually have to take was delayed by an hour and dint leave the station at all !! lucky me?!( i don think so... after all the hungama that happened...) so i saw a long line of passengers waiting to go to kinston rhodeisland..and confirmed it a dozen times that i am standing in the right q and got into the right track! and ya thats the other reason for the title missing tracks!! and there goes me again to the platform with all the groceries...and just then i realized how much i shopped after carrying them to three different places all in one hand! and finally my roomies( who were wating in RI to pick me up) and cousin (who is waiting for my call that i reached safely) exchanged a few calls... and before they cud schold me or say something i explained that i cudnt make any outstation call as i don have a calling card and i cudnt call my cousin as i forgot her number!( i am very bad with numbers.. dont lecture me that i cud have written it down in a paper in case of emergency..! i thought i can call my roomies..but just realized i am not in the same town and i need a calling card to call an outstation number!.. u will know when u r lost and and out of experiences like this!! )( how many can "learn out of experiences" like me?!!) so finally reached home..tired... panting... describing my deserted station...and the old man...and mentioning i was hungry..just then i was told i wud have grabbed somethng from the food i bought! well the mind wasnt working till today morning...well its normal now..dont worry too much.. that was my first diwali in US and my first trip alone in this place....
Feelings were silently running along with the tracks!
