Have I ever mentioned in here that I have missed a flight, and that I then paid on my own and traveled business class to keep the appointment. That was on a autumn day in Bangalore. I was to catch a early morning flight to Mumbai. SG did tell me that I better set the alarm earlier, but I was confident (even though SR had to rush me to airport two times earlier). Anyway, the taxi came on time. I made it wait. Reached airport just 15 minutes before the take off time. They had closed the boarding. The airline is known for its timely operations. I thought I had learnt my lesson, that too a costly one. But did I? No, I did not.
Just the other day, while travelling to Bath, VC almost missed the train, I had the tickets. He ran and huffed and managed to get onto the right train. But little did he know that I was about to surpass him. At Salisbury, where we had to wait and change trains. I had the brilliant idea of having breakfast. We did go out and order even when VC was apprehensive. Full English breakfast, delicious. The coffee was made from freshly ground beans, marvelous. We ate, we ran and we missed the train. Luckily the next one was soon enough and the trio was not ruined. It did become costlier.
So then, I thought I had learnt my lesson. I did indeed. I reached the rail station 30 minutes before the departure to Edinburgh. VC to started well in time. We were sure to start this on a good note. But good is not always interesting. We had something interesting in store. VC had to take the tube. After being advised by me and other people he took the fastest route, it just so happens that it is the most reliable route too. But what is interesting here? The services on the tube broke down. Apparently the train ahead on the line could not close its doors, and so could not leave the platform. VC's train was held between stations for more than 45 minutes. Yes, we missed the train, again. and this time it was the last train of that operator and the costs were substantial.
I was in army issue overalls and shoes, all ready for the snow. And we had missed the train. Hopeless, we went to the information counter to listen to the verdict. Surprise, we were allowed to take other operator's train, provided reservations were available. This was a costlier service, reservations only. But we need not pay anything extra. As luck would have it, we did get the reservation on a train with a friendly Scottish ticket examiner. Edinburgh was not even an official stop. Reached there at 0330 in the morning. We were welcomed by snow.
So what did I learn? It is sometimes good to be late. Amen!
1 comment:
i missed flight from bangalore to bhubaneswar once. and i know the pain. i reached half an hour before departure. no amount of pleading softened the official's heart and i had to pay for another ticket then and there and come to bbsr.
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