It’s been a while since inspiration as come to me. And not strangely, inspiration, was within me. So essentially, it’s been a while since I met myself. Yesterday, I did, at an old cafe, in a quiet corner of Bandra, in a roadside cafe, off a quiet street, where the screech and trumpets of traffic didn’t disturb conversation and the low lighting through gentle shadows across the tables we sat at, shadows which quivered with the breeze, making conversations meander. The place didn’t even accept cards. And there I met myself after so long.
“Hi,” I said, “old friend,”
“How are you?” I replied, not at all flummoxed to be speaking to myself, I’ve done it before. I didn’t get up and give myself a hug, something I do to most friends when I meet them after a period of time. It just didn’t seem very practical at the time. “So What’s up?” “you tell me man..” of course this was a little distracting because I was also having a conversation with a friend, who was completely unaware of my presence, or at least of the presence of my long lost self. But i managed to juggle the roles efficiently, largely because the friend I was there with, is a lady, and she was talking. Which meant she’d be satisfactorily occupied for at least the better part of the evening, leaving me free to have a conversation with my long lost self. Who drew up a chair, and sat down. I looked over at my friend, and back at me, and nodded my head, but was oblivious to my friend.
“So guess what,” I said,
“Tell me”
“you know what she saying, about the whole travelling thing?”
“yeah?”
“it reminded me of something, though you’d like to hear about it.” Obviously my curiosity was piqued... I mean, when I have something to say, it usually is pretty cool. And if I was saying this only to myself, it was also exclusive, so I wanted to hear. “Well actually you know this,” I said, my excitement waning slightly, “but you’ve forgotten... she reminded me of it, so perhaps I’ll tell you.”
And so I told myself this story...
Remember that time when I travelling, they’ve been several times, so you better be more specific uf... that time I was sure I’d figured out where shangrila was. Or could be... Shangri la...? umm this is the 21st century, and we’re real people, at least at some level... I laughed at this, who is real? What is real? And shangrila is real, by the way, I’ve been there. Really, you mean i’ve been there too? Yes, only you’v e forgotten... ohkay... i’m not too sure. Then let me tell you and stop interrupting, these italicised lines, not only look odd, and interrupt the real story, they don’t make sense, since it’s just I talking, and I don’t know which one of me it is. Ah yes, carry on please...
Well, I was looking for shangrila. A sage, well actually, i’m going to call him a sage, but he could have been anyone, even a shepherd can be a sage... had told me I’d find it beyond the seventh river, and under the fourth rock.
