Reporting from the train to Mumbai - II

Haan, so where was I?
Got up and began reading my book. As I began turning the pages, I realised that I had already read most part of the book. And with some mental calculation realised that the book won't last me the whole day. So re-read a few stories, trying to grasp the beauty of the language (ok ok! am garbaging), but wotever.
Had nuts for breakfast (pistas, u bum!) and pretended to be engrossed in my book most of the time.Slowly the gujjus began to awaken, and the buzz began all over again. After their morning tea, they seemed energetic enough to bring another headache (which followed in a few hours).
Thought a cup of coffee, South Indian style would bring relief. To my dismay, it was overcooked milk with a sparse sprinkle of coffee (definetly not Nescafe!) so 3 sips and the rest blew away with the wind. no solace for me today...
Today, the gujjus decided to leave the punjus alone, and target the Maharashtrian family in my compartment. They had a kid girl, barely a year old, and muse for all the to-be gujju dads there (the convs I overheard abt fiances confirmed this). So the whole afternoon was spent on Black Jack.
Banana chips and a whole pack of Chocos make for a yummy combination of lunch. As the sun began beating down on me, I passed in and out of sleep world. Each time, the person sitting in front of me was a different guy from the same clan.
Then came Pune! And was I glad or what? Because all the yakyak dwindled off in under a minute. Now there were just 4 guys, men actually and me. They were the older, more quiet gujjus, and business and career was the only thing they spoke about. But atleast not noisy.My excitement was rising, as I was nearing, recognising every station. There was Talegaon, Kamshet, Lonavala, Khandala... And tons of memories came flooding back. The hill, the hike, the phatak, the hitchhike on the way back.
If anyone saw me then, I looked crazy. Was smiling to myself, and beaming with glee. There were numerous tunnels, and the air had turned nippy. I began singing to myself.
As soon as the train hit Kalyan, I began recounting all the names of stations to follow, and estimated the time it would take to reach the next station, with a hit on most occassions.
The train was an hour early, when we reached Pune at 4pm instead of the usual 5pm. But they slowed down after that. So I reached VT station at 8pm, as was scheduled. Mom had told me she would meet me at Mc Donalds. But surprisingly, she met me at the platform. Which certainly saved me from carrying that stone load for another 1/2 km.
We jumped into the first cab, and he was so sweet. What a change, to see people smile with all the pressures of life. And then there is another league of grumpy people out of Bombay...
Shall stop short here, for all practical mental relief reasons.