The Missing Chappal

C - "Light up, why are you taking so much time?"
S - "Arre, ruk"
G - "Fast guys"
S - "Tu ruk"

Chack, Chack, Phuuuusssss - the match lit up.

The hand holding the match rose up to meet the cigarette lodged in the mouth. Pretty innocuous action - not really, when the cigarette is filled up with grass and the person lighting it is already a couple of beers down.

Anyways, puffs are taken and the cigarette disappears faster than the Sensex falls these days.

C - "Let's go for a drive !"
G - "At this time ? Where ? Why don't you guys go home and chill ? It's 2330 hours already"
C - "No, we want to go for a drive !"
Arguing with 2 guys high on beer and grass is ......well.....pretty useless.
G - "Chalo - let's go, but where ?"
C - "Palm Beach road, it's new and there will be less traffic at this hour"
G - "Ok"

Everyone jumps into the Silver Santro. G was and is the designated driver. S jumps into the front passenger seat and C gets into the back seat.

C - "Metallica chalu kar"
S - "Nahin, let's listen to some slow music now"
G - "Let's put on Bollywood"
C - "Chutiye, grass marke Bollywood sunega? Nikal yahan se"

All 3 start laughing and as usual C gets his way.

ENTER NIGHT, EXIT LIGHT !!

Soon they are cruising on Palm beach road. As a small bridge approaches,
C - "Bridge pe rok de"
G - "Why?"
C - "Cigarette marni hai"

The Santro halts on the bridge. All 3 get down and as is customary peek down to see what's under the bridge. At 2345 hours all they see is darkness but their noses are assaulted with different kinds of smell.

S lights up and all 3 drag away.

S - "Let's do a hi-speed run to the NRI complex"
G - (grinning) - "Chalo"
C - "S, I am sitting in the front"
S - "No ways"
C - "You sat till here na, now let me sit in front"
S - "No"

Both run to front door and C gets there first but is unable to get in. He is held back by S, a professional boxer in his college days. S muscles his way into the front seat leaving a sullen C to sit in the back.

G - "Both of you fasten your seatbelts, else we are not moving"
C & S do as instructed.

Vroom, vroom - the revs rise and as the rev counter hits 3000 RPM, G lets go the clutch.

Screeeeeeecccccccchhhhhhhhhhhh - the Santro takes off leaving a cloud of dust in it's wake. It is close to midnight and traffic is sparse.

Soon they approach 100 kmph.

S - "G kya kar raha hai?"
G - "Kya hua?"
S - "Itna fast?"
G - "130 kmph now"
S - "Fuck, I feel like I am on a plane taxing on the runaway before take off"

G & C dissolve into laughter.

G - "It's 140 kmph"
S puts his head between his knees and closes his eyes.

Before they know - they are at the NRI Complex.

C hops in to the front seat and S is only too glad to get in to the back seat. Off they go again and within 3 minutes they enter Vashi.

C - "Grass ka side effect hai re. I am hungry, lets get something to eat"
G - "Ok, there is this bhurji wala and chai wala near the Fire Brigade station"
S - "Chalo"

They pull up to the bhurji wala. The time is 0010 hours.

C & G hop out and order for bhurjis and tea. Suddenly they realise S is not getting out. They yank open the door and S is lying down on the seat.

G - "Kya hua?"
S - "Fuck man it felt like a aeroplane."

C and G laugh and pull S out of the car.

S - "let me wear my chappals"

After 30 seconds, S gets out - "I can't find my chappals"
"Arre, it must have been shifted during the fast run, check again"
S - "Nahin hai"
C - "WTF - andha hogaya hai kya?"

All 3 search but the chappal is missing. It's not in the car.

S - "I can't go home bare feet. I need to find the chappal !!"
"Did you have the chappal on in the car?"
"Yes"
"Let's eat and then we will think what to do"

They wolf down tasty bhurji complemented with special cutting chai topped off with a Classic Milds.

"Chalo - let's find the missing chappals"

We decide to trace our steps backwards. The last stop before we halted at the bhurji wala was the bridge on Palm Beach road. We drive down to that bridge.

S is tense and missing his chappals.

As soon as the car halts on the bridge, he jumps out.

Before anyone else could get down from the car, S triumphantly yells - "I GOT THE CHAPPALS"

We get down and give him taaplis on his head - "Why the hell do you have to remove your chappals on the road ?"

Sadly, S has not been able to answer that question till today, 7 years after the incident.

But this is a memorable moment in the lives of C, S & G. And I just wanted to share it.