The year was 2006 and our 12th board review was approaching. We were taking tuition for our weakest subject and strongest enemy, Math. We had to ride about 4 km a day on our bikes for the registration.
The atmosphere in the house used to be deadly strict in those days. Our parents would leave no chance to remind us that we were supposed to study hard for board exams. We, on the other hand, were as careless as ever. Due to this strict attitude of our parents, we used to be reluctant to stay at home and tried to spend as much time as possible outside just to have more time to get away from books and enjoy ourselves. My friend Vinesh (also known as Vinna) and I used to live in neighboring areas (or sectors, as they are called in my hometown). So we always went to the license plate and came back together on our bikes.
We would arrive an hour or more before the scheduled time and also return late just to kill as much time as possible out of the danger zone, which was our homes. As a bonus, our parents would think we spent more time on math, since it was hard. We weren’t given mobile phones by then, which was a huge relief in itself.
There was a railroad crossing on our way that was famous for being almost always closed to vehicles due to the high frequency of trains on that route (now, they have built a bridge over it).
However, as can easily be expected from impatient Indians like us, everyone and everything except cars and other heavy vehicles would generally pass under the post with a bit of annoyance, even when it was closed. So there was no problem for any type of two-wheeler to cross it under any circumstances.
On the way home, we used to stop our bikes at the intersection and watch the passing trains. We were discussing the estimated speed of the passing train. When a train passed and the station opened, instead of crossing the railway, we decided to wait for one more train to have more time for our important discussion about train speeds and so on until at least 4 or 5 trains arrived. spend. That was a great hobby for us and we loved to do it every day religiously.
One day, we crossed the line and arrived too late before we could get home. It was already dark and there was no way our parents would believe that we studied for so long. I got home at about 8 o’clock and my parents asked the obvious question as soon as they saw my face. For some reason, he wasn’t ready for this already. So when they asked me why I was late, I told them the first thing that came to mind.
“The railway crossing point was closed for too long. Even between the trains, they didn’t open it. That’s why I was so late.”
My parents seemed to believe it and I thought I successfully evaded the consequences. The next day, as we went to pay the tuition, I bragged about my presence of mind to Vinesh and explained how he had made up this quick excuse for me the night before. He hadn’t even finished telling her when he suddenly pointed at me, “We were riding bikes, idiot. We could have walked through the stall even if it had been really closed. Why would we just wait and watch the trains?”
I realized my stupidity and was surprised that my parents didn’t notice this flaw in my poor excuse either, or maybe they knew about it and still chose to ignore it, thankfully. We laughed and laughed at my silly act until our stomachs started to hurt. To this day, every time we talk about this incident, we can’t stop laughing.
Those were really the days!