Where do you want to go?

This was the question that caused a rather cryptic outburst of ‘none of your business.’

Last Sunday, I was at the bus stand after service. It was past 8 pm and I was trying to find a bus to get home as fast as I can. Now, Secunderabad isn’t the best place to board a bus if you which bus stops at which bus stand. In this city, there are very few bus stands that have boards with the bus numbers stopping there. Where I come from, that is quite common and I know if am at the right bus stop or not. ‘Ask someone,’ I hear you say. Well, you should try doing that near the Sec’bad railway station where every other soul is as clueless as you are and to make things worse, the bus stands are spread over a large area.

Btw, am not new to Sec’bad – been going there almost every weekend for service. I do know the bus stand to get home. Last Sunday, I thought I’d try a different route and went to the other bus stop. I was standing there for a while, and then realized I’d be better off going home the usual way.

So, I started walking towards the other bus stop. Just then, this guy came up to me and asked where am going. Well, truly ‘tis none of his business. I don’t like people poking their nose in the pretext of helping - Not in the state this world is in. And I did tell him that it was none of his business. Not the nicest of responses – but there are times I cant help myself being curt. I just say it and then go ‘oops! Did I hear that??!!!’ So, that was how it was – and he said, ‘ yes, I know it is none of my business… but there are some people behind you…you got to be careful!’ So, I had to turn around and tell him that he did sound like one of them and hope he’d understand why I gave that rude a response. He said he did understand and walked away.

Oh ya, so, probably (so very probably!), he really wanted to help. However, as much as I might try to believe that – I just can’t get myself to. Something was wrong – so, if someone was ‘behind’ me, why ask me where am going. I don’t understand – probably, that was the first thing he could think of… who knows…

All that he did was to freak me out – in a place where I don’t speak either of the major languages, it can be quite freaky. I took the first bus that went anywhere near home and got out of that place!