Romeo… Romeo… wherefore art thou Romeo….?

Claimer: All incidents related in this post are based on people that I personally know (My bad luck!) and actual happenings. Too bad for those about who I am writing you should have wished harder for me not to be a member of our illustrious family. I’ve been at the receiving end long enough now it is me as an adult who gets to write and laugh about you. Be glad that I am not mentioning your names and even if I did there isn’t anything that you can do about it because I’m a lawyer! Is it libel? Is it slander? No it is just facts!

So Romeo and Juliet got on the train sat next to each other talked about the world and all the problems plaguing it. While they talked like the doers of the society they dragged the other passengers on the train into their conversation. People around them looked at them and probably thought what an amazing couple that has travelled far and wide and yet they are (or rather just talking about) doing so much about the country. The couple was pleased with their intellectual discussion they probably felt they’d managed to do their “good deed” for the day. Romeo and Juliet exchanged a smugishly serious look of satisfaction. The train had started to slow down. All the passengers started gathering their bags and hurried towards the compartment door. Romeo and Juliet did the same. Juliet got off and so did Romeo. The railway station was crowded. The famous desi crowd that makes you move even when you are standing still. Somehow Juliet lost sight of Romeo. She went to the main gate and waited for him. An hour passed and there was no sign of the now elusive Romeo. Juliet started panicking. She called her brother who came to the station they looked every where for him they decided to go home and wait and see if he’d call. More time passed and Juliet couldn’t just sit and relax while Romeo for all she knew could have possibly been kidnapped, hurt, or have had a cardiac arrest. [ R&J aren’t so young they are in their 70’s]

R &J were supposed to board a flight to Jerkistan in the evening. The tickets were with J. They rushed to the airport only to find that Romeo had not boarded the flight. Panic hit new levels. J and her brother started calling up relatives to use every bit of influence incase R had been kidnapped. She did not want any slacking when it came to Romeo she wanted to be prepared for the worst. She went back to the Railway station and had the authorities go over the CCTV recordings to see if they could spot R. In the mean time a complaint was also lodged in the Police Station. The word that Romeo had disappeared spread fast. Romeo’s cousin had the speaker on the phone asking him to make sure that within 24 hours action should be taken to find out what had happened to Romeo.

Drama unfolded on several levels, police commissioners were called, influential people, the speaker you name them and they knew that Romeo was missing. While this was happening I was jumping on my bed gleefully grinning and finally accepting that there is in fact a God who was finally throwing a huge dose of happiness my way. I looked up at the sky and apologized for not having been a believer for so long and swore that I would never ever voice such atheistic beliefs ever.[As soon as I was done saying my first ever prayer in over a decade I found out that Romeo had reached Jerkistan was very much alive and kicking, he wasn’t even bruised nor had he suffered the trauma that Juliet had. I know, I know I’ll explain what happened.[Apparently Romeo got out of the train lost sight of Juliet so he thought she’d be practical enough to get on a cab and meet him at the Airport instead of waiting at the main gate of the Railway Station. When he didn’t find her at the Airport he did not want good money spent on tickets to go wasted so he boarded the flight. During all of this it never occurred to him that he could have spent Rs.1 at a coin booth and called his brother in law presuming that he would be the first person Juliet would be contacting in case of emergency. He just wanted to get to his destination. Once reaching there and checking into his hotel he decided to make a call!

All efforts looking for him were in vain. If only Romeo had bothered to buy a cell phone for himself for emergencies so much trouble could have been saved. Mobiles are not a luxury items any more they are a standard pre-requisite.

For a man who could be so blasé about not having his wife right next to him when they were travelling together, nothing he says will ever hold any value. No relationship is of any value. If a man can leave his wife of 42 years on her own not once thinking that she could have been frightened. For a couple that has been married as long as they have and them not being able to understand how the other thinks to me is the saddest thing ever.[Romeo had once said that he had never seen a child more inconsiderate than me. What can I say? We are family….