HOMELESS

Achronology: 003

Start Date: May 5, 2012 (Also this happens to be the actual date of the incident)
I got a job in Mangalore and had the facility of guest house where everything is taken care. But this privilege is only for two weeks as per the company norms. So I looked for a room and got one somewhat real cheap in Mangalore standard. Mangalore is a place for retirement since Mangalore sleeps by around 08:00 p.m. this includes shops, small vendors, eateries etc., I chose a place in the heart of the city Mangalore having pin number 575 001, near the famous Mangala Devi Temple. From this temple only the name of the city arrived.

Actually this place goes to sleep by around 07:00 p.m. I moved on 2nd of May 2012 and had a very tough time especially to find good place to eat out. Normally I reach by around 08:30 to 09:00 p.m. and was finding it very difficult for getting some food leave alone quality food. Somehow I managed with the available resources nearby.

On that day I reached pretty early on that Saturday evening and having done my cloth washing a day in advance I was quite free. I entered my room dropped all my belongings and switched to T-Shirt and walked out after locking out my door and the main entrance which is grill shutter. I went to a browsing centre and worked for about 1 hours looking at my personal mails and planned my outdoor program for Sunday. Then I had my food in a nearby fast-food which is just opposite to the net centre. I took my usual fruit salad that is again just opposite to the fast-food eatery.

As the day was still young I decided to take a walk around, especially to find some good place to eat. I took close to about 30 to 45 minutes of walking and literally made a circle around. I crossed a railway bridge named as the second bridge and walked around to cross it slightly in front over another bridge. This bridge is named as the first bridge. So I concluded that it must be a full circle. But this circle leads me very close to my room and I found that the only two shops available are already closed.

So I walked back to the place where I took my food and bought a two liter water bottle.. I started walking back and thinking about what to write from my life, the day at office etc.,


I was above to reach my house when I saw a small moment in the Bus stand. At that odd hour no bus will come. I saw on old lady sitting on the bench in the Bus Stand. She was fanning herself with some plastic sheet which would have been used to pack some fruits like apple. I also saw some empty and half empty two liter plastic bottles with her. They are of the same brand which I carry.

I felt sorry for her that she is homeless and has taken that bus stand shelter for her night stay. Then I compared herself with mine, I am also homeless but remembering that I have room with fan where I can sleep. I thanked god for one moment and suddenly something hit me. The key, where is the key. My brain screamed and I looked into my pant pocket and like many times before it was not there. I kept searching in my front pocket, back pocket my T-Shirt pocket. I was searching all over me and I know I lost my key. Now I am not just homeless but also room-less.

My mind went on high speed on what next to do. It started to throw many questions.

1. Where did I lose the key?
2.Where to spend the night? (the bus stand shelter is already occupied)

Question no. 1 had a logical answer to it. I went to the browsing center and then to a nearby fast-food shop. Fast-food shop I ignored as it was bit of standing. So the browsing center must have been the place. As they have kept nice chairs it was quite comfortable. I have the habit of keeping my belongings on the table while I browse. I normally do at home so leaving it on table became a habit. Now this raised sub questions.

1.Do I have to walk for a third time to the same place? (First for food, second for water and now)
2.What if the center is already closed?

Answer to first question is only YES because I have no other choice and I prayed that the center should remain open. Even before all this thinking I was walking back. But my mind was restless once again and was wondering on the second question’s, what if and where to.

I worked out few solutions.
1.To call up the person whose number is in my mobile and ask for a duplicate key.
2.If he is not available then book a hotel room.
3.Hotel room with just T-shirt and one water bottle looked ridiculous, so I thought of going back to the guest house and waking them and begging them for a night stay.

Having worked out some plan I reached the place and to my horror it is closed. My wind was already overloaded. But I already had worked out some solution So I took my mobile and looked for Nargis. But that number is not there. Then I remembered that I changed my SIM card and forgot to store the number of my house owner in the mobile. The number is in the other SIM card which is in the room along with my office bag whose key I just lost. I thought of hitting myself.

I am a bit proud I hate begging which included begging the house owner for a duplicate key. Now going to hotel is ruled out. I may be booked as a government guest and sent to jail for asking room at odd hour in a odd costume with a odd story.
My brain somehow struggled and gave me one more solution. It advised me to call the browsing center owner. Phone number is my reply to it. I got a reply look at the board. What if it is not there was supposed to be my reply since the board was near I looked. There are two numbers. My mind commanded call him, I saw that guy sitting in the counter. I thought it is close to 10:00 p.m what if he is asleep and if he is furious and what if said I don’t know etc.

But my mind said go and make the call, you don’t have much of a choice. So with a heavy heart I called and informed that I came for browsing and probably left the key there. I requested if he has found the same. His reply is something which I did not expect. He asked me if I can see a bakery next to his center. I said yes. He asked is it open. I said yes. His reply was simple that he has handed over the key to him. I jumped (my mind) physically I was solidly rooted on the turn up of events. So I said thank you and my mind is already brimming with pride with a look of I told you so.

I walked up to the bakery and requested for the key.
He is a little old man and he started to ask questions like where I came from and where I put up. Normally I would have replied negatively but knowing that I am both homeless and room-less. I said that I am from Chennai and has taken a room nearby. He again questioned me if I went to the browsing centre and I replied affirmatively. In between he had a call so he attended and then looked at me. He asked me to call the browsing center owner and hand over the phone. I did as directed.

He talked to him probably he gave a description of mine. One thing I could clearly catch is that he mentioned that I am wearing a spectacle.
Then with a very hearty smile (nice man who can smile at real strangers on late night, again in Mangalore standard) he gave me my key, my room and allowed me to sleep my mind in peace. So I took a walk back to my room for the third time within an hour. I was wondering how my prejudice are against me. If I did not walk back, if I did not called up and if…,

Well everything turned out well on that given day. As I reached the Bus Stand where I found that I am also homeless again I looked for that old lady. She is not there.
I just wondered. Is she really homeless I am not sure? She may be really waiting for bus, or someone to pick her up to home. I was thinking and prejudice her that she was homeless. May be she is really homeless but moved out. But I am not so sure. To be honest I thought she was homeless, but then she never sort of looked like a beggar.

Then it struck me actually on that night I am homeless and room-less, and God sent someone to remind me that I do not have the key. He also kept few of his angels working over time (in Mangalore everybody sleeps by 08:00 p.m.) to help me to get back to my room. When I reached my room it was 10:40 p.m. and I decided to pen this down. By the time I finished it was 11:10, if God has made his angels to work overtime then why can’t I.

p.s. That old lady must be homeless because the next day morning I saw her on the footsteps of an apartment will all here belongings. Probably she has vacated the bus stand so that one more homeless or roomless person can occupy that spot.