Straight Lie..!

This incident is one of the best experiences I had recently. During the long weekend (15th Aug – 17th Aug), I decided to visit my parents in Gujarat. While returning, my flight was from Vadodara to Bangalore via Mumbai.

I was offered a window seat and next to me was a guy named Viren Gupta who had boarded this flight from Dehli. Looking at him, I guessed he was 28-30 years and a software engineer for sure, over confident and was wearing an “I am something” attitude. I usually avoid talking and prefer to spend my time either reading books or dozing. However, he was very much interested in starting a conversation with me .

First, when I offered him to move to the window seat so that I can take the middle seat or last one in the row, he said no and moved to let me go in with a broad smile. 10 mins later, this is how he started “Hi, I am Viren, I board this flight from Delhi. Are you going to Bangalore.” I gave an uninspiring look and nodded. Seems he wasn’t satisfied. Then the other question “What book are you reading? Who is the author?”

I gave a jejune reply ”Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahri”

There he gets a chance to impress me… “Oh sheeee…. well she isn’t that good writer. People have hyped her for no reason. One book got a chance to become a movie and she is all over the nation.” Of course, I didn’t like his comments because I know the kind of books she writes and so I asked him if he has ever read any of her books or even bothered to watch the movie… He said “NO” I hate when someone try acting over smart and comment on things they don’t even know…

I was not willing to get in to any kind of conversation with him but seems he decided get on a ride with me. Again, he asked “Where u working???” He was not letting me read my book and was getting on my nerves now.

That was all…. I closed my book and started with my story telling… I said “I am unemployed… Rather, I don’t need to work. I love traveling and this was my first visit to Gujarat.”
This statement grew his curiosity. So I get few more questions, like how was the city, people and all that crap…

I said “Hmm… things went fine because CM Narendra Modi is my uncle and I was with him in Gandhinagar. He is one who sponsored my tickets.” Bingo…!!! After saying this, I knew he will doubt my lies so I added “He lives at sector# 40 CM’s bungalow, Gandhinagar” and asked him if he has ever visited Gujarat. As expected he did not. Thank god..!! I was safe

He was startled to this… Now, even I was finding it funny and interesting to deceit him… So I went on. I told him that I use to work with IBM but quit because of personal reasons and after my personal mess was cleaned, I decided to travel all around India. I elaborated only about the places I had visited. Like “A month back I was in Simla and Chandigard then was in Goa and now finished with Gujarat.”

No word from him… I could see he did not believe me when I mentioned I had been traveling all alone. Anyways, who cares? Then I started with all mind eating questions… “Viren do u know, the mechanism how these oxygen mask fall when oxygen level goes down in a plane..?” Pause I shot another question “Do u know the kind of fuel plane uses to fly??

Err..!! He was completely perplexed and didn’t know what to say… I loved each expression that came on his face… Thank god he did not ask me for answers bcoz I didn’t know it myself… ;)
Now, he wanted to put off the conversation but I was not done yet. We were about to land in Mumbai for 30 mins, when I shot my last bullet… I told him that my personal mess which I had mentioned a while back was about my husband…

“Husband??????” he asked
I said “Yes, he left me all alone with so much of money that I don’t know what to do… so I am spending it traveling all around in India.” Before he could ask anything I continued “You know, I lost him two months back”

Here I wished to have had camera and captured his picture. Now the last jhataka… I said “He was HIV+ and I was unaware of this before marriage… You know we just got married last year and within 7 months he passed away.” That was all to make him nervous…
His face had almost all kind of colors passing thru…. first red, then yellow, blue, green and finally he went pale…At Mumbai he got his seat changed and I was relived.

However, his departure also conveyed that still people (even educated class) are unaware of what and how AIDS is speard.

I never thought of making such a story when started the conversation with him. But his growing interest to know me made me do all this.

God forgive me..!!