Sometimes, intelligence alone is not sufficient to solve a problem we are facing with. It should be coupled with smartness to penetrate the dark screen of “solution”. On 24th Feb. 2008, ie last Sunday, both of these elusive capabilities merged together in me and saved me from an apparently harmless but utmost important problem I ever faced in my life.
His majesty (I mean “I”) was on meditation (means half sleep!) when I received a call from my friend Mr.Sandeep. Sandeep stays just opposite to my apartment and our buildings are separated by a road called “Dongbu Express Way.” After a 2 minutes chat on mobile, he asked me about my plans for the evening. Before our hands pressed the red button on the mobile, we decided to meet in front of his apartment at 6 pm and then go to “Lotte Mart” (a nearby shopping mall) to buy the groceries for the coming week.
It was only 4:30 pm then and since I thought there is sufficient time to take bath and get ready, I lighted a “Malboro Lights” cigarette and continued my meditation for some more time.
Giving “comfort” to my throat and heart, a portion of the smoke rode towards my stomach. The remaining part of the smoke I used to pollute the air in my room. As I sat on the sofa keeping the legs in wide-angle position, one part of my brain engaged in observing the abstract shapes the smokes make in the air, in vain. Some other subtle part of the brain was busy in displaying the vague images of the items to be procured from the mall. There was nothing much to buy and so I was quite relaxed.
But that relaxation lasted only till I took bath at 5:45 pm!
After taking bath, when I walked to the living room, I didn’t have any clue that things are going to get difficult only! By the way, for your information, on week days, after taking bath, I go to the living room in fully naked form, assimilating the movements made by Mr. Adam in the Garden of Eden! This I do even if the window curtains are open! However, the point to be noted here is that I never did it purposely. It happens naturally because everyday I forget to take an underwear with me to the bathroom. (Anyway, this is an exclusive privilege for people like me, who stays alone ad I take full advantage of the situation). As a matter of fact, it just happened so on this particular day also!
In the living room, I observed one minute silence (A new habit called prayer, I developed in Korea!) before reaching to my suitcase to get an underwear. “Where’s gone all the under wears?” I mumbled as my hands fumbled for finding one! No underwear was found in the suitcase and so I decided to extend the search to the cupboards. The cupboard also said “No” to me. Crestfallen, I stood there for a moment. Then, like the US military in Afghanistan searching for Osama Bin Laden, I searched everywhere in the room only to see the result remains intact in “No”!!
I had 8 under wears and all are in used condition now! And I wanted to go out urgently! The gravity of the situation hit square between my eyes like a thunder bolt? In that cold climate also, I started sweating. I peeped angrily to the bathroom where all the 8 underwears were hanging like troubled souls in the nether world waiting to get salvation!
Time did not wait for me, but my friend was! It was already 6:10 pm and I was hit by the “what to do next?” question. It was too late to say “No” to him. Also, going out for shopping with him is an experience to be cherished (he has extensive knowledge of all the products) and I didn’t want to miss that.
“Who is going to check if I go out without wearing one?” I asked myself. However my mind did not vote for that idea. Anyway, before it was too long, my “Engineer’s Brain” found an excellent solution to this problem and within 5 minutes I found myself walking towards Sandeep’s apartment’s gate, happily and “fully” dressed!!
Sandeep was standing there expecting my arrival. I apologized to him for being late. Placing honesty to the top in that difficult situation also, I projected “lack of underwear” as the reason for me to get late.
“So you came without wearing an underwear?” Asked Sandeep ( may be he was in a mild state of shock)
“No, no. I am wearing one. I have taken a used underwear, placed a tissue on the “critical part” of it and then wore it (like ladies do during their menstrual period) ” I replied humbly!!
Sandeep did not say anything. His character is like that – calm & cool. He only looked at the sky and smiled, without looking at my face.
And that was the most meaningful smile I have ever seen in my life!!
