Lady in Red

Mumbai train offers some of the most entertaining things for my mornings. I travel too long to reach a place that I’d been hating for too long on a daily basis. The only solace to my life is the exciting and interesting mix of people that I encounter in trains.

Take example the dull Tuesday morning. A female, wearing a loud floral print red kurta and stripped black trouser, tousled just out of bed hairs, modest try at making herself presentable with help of make-up and failing miserably at it; walked in the compartment with her mobile glued to her ear. (Which is pretty normal for people nowadays...glued to mobile, I mean). the lady in red was on phone with someone at the other end wailing a long drawl of profanities for someone, I can only assume was her boss, making sure every single soul in the train can hear her and her disgruntled rant.... and as if her voice wasn’t enough, she sat right opposite to yours truly. I tried my best not to listen to her rant (I don’t think I have any other word to express her talks).... but it was as if, she knew I was trying to ignore her voice...she started with a pitch too loud to ignore...

its been a fair game, which I play to myself these days in trains... try and guess the profession of a person...preferably sitting right in front of me... check appearance.. Not what a person is wearing... but HOW the thing is worn... whether colors are in synch, do they complement each other, whether the dress is ironed, what accessories are donned, the footwear... all and all.. The total appearance. In addition to that, I also like to do a bit of eavesdropping... listen to what they are talking on phone... (Which 95% of them do) and take a shot at what profession or field of expertise they hail from... to your utter surprise... and my utter disappointment, these observations have made me realised, that people HARDLY ever behave and talk as you might expect from their profession....

So, coming back to the lady in red.

The female is too loud to ignore. so instead of trying to avoid her for continuing my reading...I eavesdrop (though if someone is practically shouting at you, should that be considered as eavesdropping, is a matter of further discussion)...

In my usual struggle to place what she does... her dressing style, her purse and extra bag... says she doesn't hail from corporate world; no way would her loud colors go in a corp. grey house... I rule out media, owing to her attempt at make-up... I’m considering school... but profanities pouring out from her mouth make me laugh at myself... I’m pondering what and where to fit her... she's complaining abt a lady making her life miserable.. And acting as a monitor in class, and I begin to reconsider my school theory. Then she starts talking about roasters and my brain grabs the word as exhibit no 1... But when this potential TEACHER blurts out "I swear, I’m gonna screw her happiness".... I begin to dread the kind of effect the female might have on the kids in her class...

After some 10-15 minutes of pondering, I finally here the nail in the coffin... "Did you see the results? The kids I gave a distinction are given PASS grades... those poor little souls... how devastating for them..."

And I silently pray to god, to have mercy on the "poor little souls"

But my surprising morning doesn’t stop there.... to top it all off... she FINALLY ends the conversation. (Which if I recollect properly was her 4th phone call... since she got into the train)... and to blow me over the top, opens the bag and takes out a book to read.... 




"How to win friends and influence people" - Dale Carnegie