90 minutes sleep cost 10.5K!!!

Royally duped!!! That's what comes to mind when I think about what happened the other day.

My 90 minutes of sleep cost me a cool INR 10,500. Don't believe it? Then read on...

It was Tuesday, the last day of June 2009. My company was having its monthly shutdown (blame recession). Employees had to take leave without pay for a certain number of days in a quarter. It was one such occasion where-in even though I was on leave I had to go work. Since I was already without pay I look the liberty of going late to work. Rather than the liberty, I would say it was my love for sleep, my habit to get up late, my lack of enthusiasm to see the early morning rays, bluntly said my laziness. :(

The regular bus to my company starts at 7.40 am near my place. There is no other direct bus to the company. However another direct bus to my office leaves from Gangenahalli, which is exactly one bus stop away from my regular bus stop. As I have a valid pass to board the BMTC bus (that's our local public transport), I went to the stop to catch a bus. I avoid buses which are full when I have time.

On this particular day I was a bit late (thankfully not because of my laziness). When I reached the stop, the time was around 9.15. The stop was sort of empty, I was happy. A bus came, which was sort of ok to board. The bus had doors. Suddenly there was an influx of passengers who were not there in the stop earlier. As I was supposed to get down at the next stop, I boarded the bus last. There were people standing on the steps and asked others to get in. Their guise was that the driver would close the doors. The bus had already started to move. At that point of time, I received a call on my cell phone. Since the bus was now crowded, I took out my cell, put it on silent mode and again placed it in my pocket. As soon as I lifted my hand, the person near me told that someone's phone had fallen down from the bus and he wanted me to check whether it was mine. I was sure that I had kept the cell phone in my pocket, but even then checked to make sure again. To my horror the phone was not there. At the same time, another person told that a phone indeed had fallen off the bus and had broken into two pieces. You usually doubt when one person tries to confuse you. But, when two different people tell the same thing you will be forced to believe them. In my case, I believed them! The bus slowed down near a speed breaker and they actually made me get down, saying that the broken phone was there on the road, a few feet back. I retraced my steps back and then it struck to me. Eureka! I have been royally duped. The person/s responsible for stealing my phone made me believe in their crap story.

Now here is some introspection. As soon as I found my phone missing, I knew that I had lost it. My analytical mind put past a conspiracy that someone flicked it and threw it out of the bus to his counterpart. What my mind couldn't process was that, I was being innovatively duped, something which was never heard before.

So, on that fateful day my sleep had cost me dearly. INR 116 for every minute of extra sleep.

Though I have got a duplicate SIM with the same old number, I have lost all my contacts, reminders and photographs. So, when you call me/ message me and I will ask "May I know who is this?", please do not be offended. I may forget some important days as well; please forgive me.