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What a Frustrating Day
I missed the 11:20 local by just a few seconds, and that single moment made me reach the office almost an hour late. In Mumbai, the value of time is unmatched. Missing one train can throw your entire day off schedule.
The day already felt heavy because the previous night had been even heavier. I reached home after midnight, went straight to bed, and woke up only after 9 a.m. the next morning. With little enthusiasm, I prepared my meal, packed my bag, and left home without paying much attention to the time.
On the way, I called Kalpana to ask if she had filed her Income Tax Return (ITR). She told me that her sister also wanted to file hers. That immediately caught my interest because I was hoping to find a client who could at least pay me something. So far, I have filed around 14 ITRs free of cost.
While talking to her, I completely lost track of time. By the time I reached the platform at Mansarovar, the train had already started moving. Having had two unpleasant experiences trying to board moving trains, I decided not to risk it.
Just then, I noticed a Panvel-bound train arriving on the opposite platform. I also realized that the 11:51 CST local from Mansarovar was an AC train. That made me panic. I boarded the Panvel train, intending to get down at Khandeshwar and catch the 11:51 local from there. Normally, after an AC local, the following general compartment isn't as crowded because many commuters choose the AC train.
But fate had other plans.
As we approached Khandeshwar, an announcement informed us that a non-stop train would be passing through Platform 2. I felt utterly defeated. Inside, I was almost in tears. After what felt like an eternity—around fifteen painfully expensive minutes—I finally boarded the train that was scheduled to leave Mansarovar at 12:00. By then, it had only reached Khandeshwar.
The setbacks didn't end there.
A Day When Everything Went Wrong
At Kurla, yet another AC local arrived ahead of us, forcing us to wait again. By then, my frustration had peaked. I messaged Bhagya, switched off my phone, and for a brief moment, I was so angry that I felt like throwing it onto the tracks.
What made it worse was that I had planned to reach home early because I had to leave for Pune the next day. That plan was now falling apart.
Finally, I reached Parel at around 1:00 p.m. After waiting another 15–20 minutes, I got a bus.
Even there, my luck refused to improve.
I had my Chalo smart mobility card, so I offered to pay for a fellow passenger's ticket if she gave me ₹12 in cash. She quietly handed me the money, and I bought her ticket using my card.
The irritating part came later. She got down at Gopal Nagar, taking the ticket with her. Since I had to get off only two stops later, at Doordarshan, I needed that ticket to show the conductor if asked. But I couldn't gather the courage to ask her to return it before she got off. Feeling mentally exhausted, I simply got down at Gopal Nagar as well and walked the remaining distance.
Some days, nothing seems to go your way.
Today was one of those days.
If you're writing this as a personal blog or memoir, I can also make it more literary and reflective, with stronger descriptions of Mumbai's relentless pace and the emotional weight of the day.
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