Saturday 24 October 2009

Car parking manners

i have been taking the car to work since a few days. My office is in an industrial estate where super rich textile mill owners, printing presses, studios and the likes abound. It is a task to find parking space so I leave early from home.

There are watchmen at various places to guide and stop you from parking at an inappropriate place. And in the area, there are many buildings and a specified parking lot for each building.

Yesterday, i came in at around 1020 hours and found 2 parking spots just opposite my building. So, i pulled in the car in the open space when the watchman came and told me not to park it there. He said, "i can't let you park where regulars park. i accommodated your car the other day as a one-off thing. But if you are bringing it everyday then find parking somewhere else."

i told him that no space is allotted to anybody. So, whoever comes first parks it. Besides, if i work here why would i park somewhere else. i have full right to park the car here. You can come to my office and tell me if there is any problem, i'll move my car accordingly.

He grumbled but did not argue any further and told me to park the car in the far right corner. i did and told him that i'll leave by 1900 hours.

Then, in the evening, at around 1915, i stepped out of office to go home. There was a blue Maruti zen parked ahead of my car. The watchman had left by then so i enquired with the nearby drivers to find out who the car belonged to. After some talks, i found out that it belonged to somebody on the 2nd floor. A guard went up to the office and came back with the message that the car owner's driver has the keys and has gone for some work nearby. He'll be back soon. Sensing that it would take time, i went up to talk with him myself.

It was a deserted small office. i found a young man sleeping. His eyes were open and was looking here and there. i asked him where is the owner? He took me up the loft stairs again and showed me in. It was a dingy place. There was this middle-aged man with a temple tikka on his forehead talking to somebody.

i asked him to move the car and he repeated what the guard had told me previously. He said it’ll take about 20-25 minutes. Politely, i told him that i'll have to wait now. You should have kept some spare keys with you. i went down and waited for around 35 minutes.

While i was waiting, few of the drivers, guards and the temple priest told me that this car doesn't have any driver. The owner himself drives it, which meant that this man was making me wait for no particular reason. i was getting furious as i was climbing up the stairs. Just as i was reaching the 2nd floor, i saw this man coming out of his office hurriedly. i asked him, where is your driver? He said, here, the driver just came with the ladka. i said, i didn't see him coming up. i asked the watchman on the first floor. He denied having seen anybody come up. i just went down with boiling anger.

This middle-aged man got into the car and told the guy who had parked his omni van next to our cars, to park it elsewhere. His tone, demeanour all sounded shaken and guilty. And i started giving him a piece of my mind. i did not abuse him or stuff. But my voice had risen and i made my disgust very clear. He kept replying with words like – nahi beta meri aapse kya dushmani hai?

He moved his car away and was waiting at the gate.
I waited too.
He got nervous.
I kept waiting.
He did some fidgeting.
I was staring at him.
He started his car.
I started mine and followed him.
That’s the least I could do. Pinch him.
He drove himself, no driver, no child.
Guess his driver only keeps the keys and does not drive around the boss.

Such a @#$#$$%%^%#$@#$

I felt like breaking his car lights, deflating the car tyre and anything that would make him realise his folly. I took pictures of his car number plate and if my anger doesn’t subside, I might do something to teach him a lesson…..

That @#$@#$^#$^#$%^#

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Bout of negativity

Sometimes, I feel stupid, insecure, sad, defeated (battling with my own self), exhausted, small, inept, irresponsible, empty, lonely, left out, dejected, incapacitated, negative.