Kettum pattanam poi seru-nu...

Usually I don't meet up with friends, appadiye thappi thavari meet panniten-na adhu ennoda ella factors-ayum (adhavadhu idam porul eval kuttisathan) cover pannina the meeting happens nu artham. And trust me, idhu varaikum indha ella factors-um have never come together well. So I have never met up with friends.

Ippadi sandoshama irundha ennai, well ofcourse why let me be happy nu oru nallava yosicha. That nallava is Shuba, yeah yeah adhe butterflies ponnudhan. One fine day she called me up, and said lets meet up the next day. Onne onnu sollunga, yaravadhu namma ooruku vandha mudhalla veetuku varuvanga, right? Outright-a first meete lets go out and roam this place-na koopduvanga? "Machi, kilambi vaa machi, Bath poi nalla suthalam" -nu oru invitation!

Seri, namma friends vera eppadi irupanga, nammala madhiridhane irupanga nu I started looking for trains to her station, and we finally zeroed in on a train that leaves by 8 AM from central london. Naan night train site ellam parthu perfecta ennoda travel plan pannitu thoongitten.

Next day morning I woke up by 5:30AM, and got ready and left by 6:30 for the local railway station. Almost 2 mins late aayiduchu nu oru little marathon odi station reach pannina....there was a huge tape covering the entrance of the station!! (For those who asked me all these days if the kodumais are over, here goes!) Dei paavigala, nethu site-la ellam closed ne podalaye da nu mind scream pannikitte velila oru nallavar kitta "enunga na, indha stationlerndhu innoru stationku eppadingna poradhu"-nu ketta, avar "kannu, ipdiye road-a cross panni andha pakkam bus pidichu po" appadinu anupitar :( And the bus was by 6:57 AM, leaving me just 1 hr to get the train from central london to Bath. Neenga kekkalam, en adutha bus pidika koodadha nu, this the only bus that reaches in 1hr 50 mins, the other buses take 2.5 hrs and are spaced at 1hr :( :( and considering it gets darker by 4PM here....

Shuba-ku call panni sonnen, and the arivali madam suggested taking a bus to Bath...aana engerndhu indha bus ellam kilambudhu nu she doesn't know :-/ Seri chola dynasty makkalkellam Internet poi serala innum paavamnu I browsed on my phone, and guess what it said, 5 hrs to Bath!! £*&£*&%£(&$£) appadinu avalai asingama thittitu I boarded the 6:57 bus and headed to the interim station.

Bus andha station reach panna udane next mini marathon odi underground station poi, was at the platform for the next possible train to central london. Andha train came on time, and I was calculating the time...seri 10 mins time irukum to find the train on the other platformnu yosichite irundhen, appo perfecta the train broke down! :)) Ada paavigala, andha train pidikave vida matteengalanu kadupaga arambicha udane, thankfully it started. Seri ippovavadhu Internet vandhirukum chozhargaluku nu Shuba-ku sms panninen, "machi endha platformla train start aagudhunu paaru". Next minute oru call, "Naan breakfast saptutruken, so can't check"...grrr, idhoda vitrukalam, koodave "machi, tension aagadha machi, nee pidikanumnu irundha andha train-a pidippa" nu philosophy vera...GRRR...higher decibel-la &*£&$£*&$*"&$)( thittitu I hung up.

Anyways, the train reached the central london station with 10 mins to spare...oh, I forgot to mention that I didn't get my tickets either, stationla vangikalamnu vittuten. So another mini marathon (trust me, ennai olympicsla vitta Indiaku niraya medal vangi tharuven, edhulanu don't ask) to the platforms...and I spotted a couple of railway officials. Adhula oruthar kitta poi (8 mins left) "guru, Bath pora train endha platform guru" nu ketten. Avar udane pakkathula irundha aal kitta, "Bhai, which platform does Bath train go from?" nu kettar. And the other guy said "hold on a min while I help this kid" nu soltu, oru 10 vayasu payyanuku vazhi solla arambichutar. Yov, 10 vayasu payyanlam en thaniya varan, poi appa ammava kekka sollu nu I wanted to shout, but as always thitta theryama parthutrundhen :( I kept on lamenting I have got only 5 mins (5 mins left) when finally he sent off the kid, and came with the awesome response of "Oh I don't know"!!!!

Ada paavigala, idhuka ennai wait panna vacheenga nu marupadiyum odinen, odinen station-in orathirke odinen...bayam vera, with just 2 mins, ticket vera illa....but eventually I boarded the train with just a minute to spare :D :D and poruppa I checked with the pantry lady that they do sell tickets on the train.

The train started, and started chugging away. Naanum porumaiya wait pannitrundhen, for the ticket inspector to come. The first stop went by, but no sight of the inspector....enada idhu nu naane went in search of him (gandhi porandha manla porandhuttu....), but the pantry lady told me she didn't know where he was, and that I can buy tickets after I leave the train...ada, idhu romba super arrangementa iruke nu thalai-la adichukitte I went back to my seat and resumed waiting. Kadaiseela my station arrived, and still I hadn't purchased the tickets...

Irangina udane Shuba came running :), after all this is the second time we are meeting in life ;-) hugging bugging ellam mudichutu, I was trying to find the ticket counter (I know I know...it is very annoying) and finally came out of the station because the bays were open without a ticket!! And am still waiting for the ticket inspector to this day.....;-)