The 17th thing- Sunday the 18th

 I- The Unlucky Part
      I didn't really want to go when mom asked me if I wanted to attend this Dance-Drama thing in BU. She reckoned I needed to step out of the house anyway so I got ready. Granny meanwhile was talking about the Nano car and asked me if I wanted one, I remained silent (that tiny thing isn't really my thing) and said that I liked Jazz. Dad corrected me and said that I was always supposed to mention the name of the car company that produced it and then the name of the car, "So you see its not just Jazz, its Toyota Jazz", to which I said, "Its Honda Jazz!!!" And this sparked up a little challenge. I said to him, "Bet I can name more car companies than you can!" and he laughed that off!
      So as we sat in the car we started off a game. He would name a car company and me another.. to see who would last longest (something tells me that this is not how father and daughter usually bond).
      "Maruthi" "Honda" "Toyota" "Tata" ... "Dad I think there's a bit of smoke coming off from the bonnet.." "Oh no I think its from the bus in front.. its from its exhaust" (this was Mom). "Oh alright then.. Aston Martin" "Morris and Dodge! Beat that!" "Alfa Romeo and Bentley. Easy Dad." .... "I really think there's smoke coming off the bonnet.. tiny wisps of it.. and I can smell the heated up engine too" "Really..? Hmm.. I don't see anything.. Hummer" "Is that even a car company? Never heard of it.. Chevrolet." By then we'd almost reached BU. But then, "Dad.. I'm SURE there's smoke coming off the bonnet and you'd better stop right now.. Plus there's this weird rattling noise." My dad did slow down and we entered the gates of SDB (Some Damn Building). The car was clearly in trouble now. We got down and Dad opened the bonnet and there was more smoke, with the horrid odour of heated metal (that's what I thought it was anyway) accompanying it. Dad went around the stately and spacious building looking for some water to cool off the engine. He came back with a bottle of it and then poured it into the .. radiator I think its called. With a lot off hissing, we found that our car was dying. There was green blood oozing out of the bottom (turned out it was the coolent).
      We decided there was nothing much left to do and we left the car panting for breath there and knew we had to walk a certain distance to our destination. Unfortunately, earlier on at home I thought it'd be nice to feel taller than usual and so put on some heels. And, not that I'm the complaining type or anything, was thinking out  loud how dense and black the clouds above were. And it started to rain. I couldn't run or walk fast properly.

II- The Lucky Part
      We didn't have to walk much and we soon entered BU, albeit a little sweaty and wet (me with aching feet). As soon as we entered we saw Mom's Chairman there- a certain someone I've always felt like giving a piece of my mind to for overworking my poor mother. But I think I was amicable enough. He was with Mr.R (who'd helped me get my driving license) and a driver. Dad and I left Mom chatting with them to find out that there were no seats vacant at all in the auditorium. Oh well. What a bummer. So we thought we'd happily leave (only we couldn't cuz our car was close to seeing the white light at the end of the tunnel). We came back to where Mom was to see that the chairman had a little solution. He said he'd leave his driver with us to figure out the trouble with our car. So while he drove off in his Mitsubishi, the five of us (including Mr.R) set off on foot to where we'd left our car (in SDB). This time, no rain. So we arrived there and dad asked me to go get the bottle and fill it up from a little artificial pond nearby. To do this I had to go ask some guys who were working with wooden planks and such for a bottle. Here I must say I impressed myself with my hindi. There was a guy who had the empty bottle and when I asked for it he said,
"Hame chahiye peenekeliye*.. Apko kyon?"
"Paani dalna hai isme." (Not bad Arpitha!)
"Ham kya karenge..?"
"Doosra hai kya?"  (Wow.)
"Nahi.. teeke aap vapas laiye."
"Haan." (Awesome.)
      And I filled up the bottle and took it over to where about half a dozen surgeons were now trying to bend over the examination table to diagnose our family member (the surgeons were some more workers). The problem was this- a pipe had cracked, through which water from the radiator poured out. So we couldn't drive our car home without somewhat fixing it. The driver asked for sellotape. But where could we find a stationery shop? And it also hit me that catching an auto here would be difficult too. As luck would have it, the workers produced some sellotape. They didn't have any duct tape. So the driver set about trying to fix the pipe. And then something struck me, "Dad what's that cellotape made of?" "Oh.. its made up of some paper like substance.." "Then when the engine heats won't it catch fire?" To which he said no, albeit looking slightly uncomfortable. But thankfully everyone decided to leave the car for the night, and buy the spare part tomorrow and fix it up. We left the car with an old watchman (Dad doesn't know this but Mom slipped him a 50 rupee note to do the job), saying that we'd be back the next day at 11am, and headed out. There was a bus stand right opposite SDB. I dreaded taking a messy bus full of smelly people trying to stand all the way with heels on. Again, as luck would have had it, we boarded an immediate bus to where we live, and a comfortable one at that. We even had places to sit. I looked out of the window and dreamed away, about Rafa, cars, Rafa, songs, Rafa, my new cell phone and suddenly wondered (as the bus automated voice said "Neksht shtop iish Tata Silk Form") as to what would happen if the bus broke down. Thankfully, that didn't happen. We got down at a bus stop amazingly close to our house, and walked back home.

MORAL: Don't wear heels. Ever. It will somehow make a bad day worse.
[*peenekeliye- hehehe.. PEEnekeliye! LOL!]