Rules of Engagement

It was a rather low profile Eid this time. Well after all I am in the middle of nowhere, supposedly heading the Planning Department of a highway project. Started the day at 6, freshened up and headed for the Eid prayers. Breakfast at 8 and then it was boredom. Thought of killing time with some CSI:NY, CSI:Miami repeats and by 11am I had enough of forensics and science. As I was pondering on how to kill the day and trying to get my mind away from the dreaded thoughts of 'wish I had work today', my phone rang. Strangely enough an Indian mobile number, I had either called or had received calls from all the most probable calling persons but the surprises are always welcome. I answered that call;

ME: Hello
The Other End: Eid Mubarak Museem

ME: Thank you and same to you as well

The Other End: So how is your day churning out my dear?

ME: So far so good (that I should say was totally imaginative answer)

The Other End : ah! you were always bad at lying. (I guess she knew me well)

ME: Ha-ha! may I know who this is?

The Other End: ah! good, you do not recognize me, nice, that shows you are moving on with your life. I like that. Bada Bing, Baada Bong.

ME: hahahaha! Ding Ding!

The Other End: yea, you got me.

ME: So long time eh? What you doing?

The Other End: well, I am on a long break since August. Work was killing me.

ME: Hmmm, I always thought it was the other way round.

The Other End: Sarcasm never suited you so cut the crap. How is Muscat and your love of reading going on? Your FB status on those were a bit too annoying.

ME: Muscat is good, reading was great, I shifted to movies and books when I was from Aug to Oct.

The Other End: please, spare me from your in-depth explanations. I was about to sue FB for allowing continuous flow of monotonous movies and book list status messages from certain users.

ME: well, I am sure it would have gone in vain.

The Other End: yea, so had a good time in Thalassery eh?

ME: yup.

Silence for a few seconds

The Other End: I was in Edakkad during first week of Oct.

ME: And you could not drop in a visit eh?

The Other End: well, I did come around a particular locality in Thalassery to invite some 'nostalgic' memories and prayed the I will not encounter any 'familiar' faces.

ME: hmmm, what did you do in this 'particular locality'?

The Other End: well I parked my car in a sweet spot and just walked off to a nearby park. I had a feeling that a 'familiar' face might show up there on seeing my car.

ME: Well, some people are too busy and moreover I have heard experiences in life make people allergic to certain colours, brands or both. For example I am allergic to black cars especially black Skodas.

The Other End: Hmmm but then your emotions do get the better of you at times and makes you forget the allergies as you try to reconnect back to your experiences

ME: yeah, that does happen. Sometimes there comes a time when those experiences just pop up in front of you as you sit on your veranda and look at the world just outside your front gate.

The Other End: I guess that when you feel tempted to explore and try to leave a mark or should I say a lasting impression on that nostalgic exploration eh?

ME: yup. It something like every crime scene will be left with one solid evidence.

The Other End: yeah, but an old Indian business card with an international phone number scribbled on it is more than just solid evidence. Its concrete proof.

ME:I guess some con artists leave their signature trademark at the crime scene.

The Other End: hmm, so the spare key did the job eh? What if there was some kind of a security system like a burglar alarm eh?

ME: well, yes and I had this feeling that the security system was 'accidently' switched off.

The Other End: Ah yes, the gut feeling. It always works. Some did mine, when I came around that particular locality and boy it worked rather too well.

ME: hmmm, so I guess you had a good time at that park eh?

The Other End: Yes, I did. Nice place though I must say many in the male species were feeding their assets database with the help their in-built X-Ray visions.

ME: any interesting males there?

The Other End: nope.

ME: ah! Good for them.

The Other End: yea whatever. Oh by the way, I just love that song called Pee Lon from the movie “Once upon a time in Mumbai”.

ME: hmm, what makes you say that? You were never that MUSHy and Romantic type.

The Other End: I guess sometime when you get RE-connected to certain forgotten memories, things can change.

ME: oh you mean that song brought back memories of your Dawood Ibrahim's mistress days?

The Other End: Museem, like I said earlier, sarcasm does not suit you. I got to hear that song a few days ago when a CD in my car that just contained this one song. Can you believe it just one freaking song in that whole CD!!

ME: hmmm, I guess it must be one of them uniquely exclusive CDs.

The Other End: yeah, must be. Anyways my credit is getting low. Just called to wish you Eid Mubarak.

ME: oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks and one more thing I just love to keep my car trunk clean and organised

I had a feeling that she did not hear those last lines for the line got cut due to low balance. The call ended. I got hungry all of a sudden and went to eat. Dozed off until sunset. Then watched some TV again, it was House M.D. on TV this time around. I got a message on my phone.

"Hey guess what, my car's trunk is a magic trunk. I found my five pink top, some of my old jean and books lying in a bag and I was worried I lost them"