I was talking to S on the phone while trying to buy a coupon booklet at Govandi station. I am standing in front of the very man, my savior and my villain who haunts my ears every morning and night – the railway announcer. (In Govandi, one has to buy tickets from the railway announcer. Weird, yes I know.)
“Ek coupon booklet milega?” I say preoccupied.
“Kyun nahi milega,” he says comfortingly with a casualness one does not see often in railway announcers.
I am humored and charmed and I say, “Kitna?”
He smiles, “Chaalees ka hai.”
I struggle with my pockets and hand him the four notes of ten one after the other. I think I am done and am about to get back to my phone call when he looks at me intently and then questioningly as if measuring me on his mind scale.
He says, “Aap ladies log paisa aisa kyun rakhte ho?”
I am perplexed.
“Oh, bhaiyya woh pocket mein…” and I stop because there is really no good excuse.
We are both now looking at the four notes carefully. They are crumpled pieces of paper almost becoming half their size and Gandhi seems to have visibly gnarled skin. He is trying to iron them so that he can close the accounts.
“Aap ladies log se hi aisa note milta hai. Ek nikalne mein dus girta hoga,” he murmurs
“Sorry bhaiyya. Theek kehto ho aap.” I get back on the phone slightly taken back.
I am wondering whether it is true. I am used to exchanging such notes with everyone. Or
is it just my girlfriends?
Do the men keep their money better? Probably yes. They always seem to have a wallet where they tuck in their money systematically and those wide spread jeans where the wallet finds home. Seems rather convenient and easy.
Whereas, I have no jeans which can accommodate any wallet. I pride myself in buying jeans, which can accommodate my phone. Probably it is a jeans problem. Our jeans do not accommodate wallets. The wallet companies need to speak to the jeans companies.
It is also not that easy for us women. If we dress in a salwar kurta, a sari, or a skirt, I may excuse my kind for I suppose they would carry a purse and they could always keep their money safe and nice. However, if you wear jeans, you are tempted to store quick money in your pockets. The front ones mostly otherwise our asses would look bulky.
My father always said that a person who keeps money carefully respects the worth of money and that was the first thought that struck me when my charmer for the day pointed out those emaciated pieces of paper called money to me. So, I wonder, probably, it is not a jeans problem after all. It is a reflection of my lazy unorganized self. Yeah, that sounds like it. I need some reorganizing. I should tell my railway announcer that.
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