Without a plan... now thats unlikely !

I don't know what I am going to write about in the next line. The plan is to not to plan...sounds a bit weird though but I’ll go on. I saw another stupid movie today. The reason they make only stupid movies these days is incomprehendable to me. I am not a movie buff but when I feel like watching one, I have to go watch one. I guess I always feel this way, when I get the impulse to do something, I have to somehow discover a way to do it or find it or eat it or see it or play it or whatever...you got the point. After all there is nothing wrong with it and most of the times the efforts and tantrums to make the implausible act to happen becomes more fun than the act itself.


One such act I remember was on a cold December night when I felt like playing table tennis. I like the game and when I feel like playing I really want to play. So, this cold day or rather night in December I called a couple of my friends and planned a TT game in the next half an hour. All set we assembled in the next thirty minutes in the gym; yes the TT table is in the gym. So there we were 4 guys, midnight and a TT table. We started the game only to realize the ball was making a funny sound. On close examination it was found that the ball was broken and it was the only one we had. Man! This thing gets on my nerves...a perfectly cold night, four friends, a deserted gym, all set to play and a BROKEN ball. There would not have been any shops open at that time and I somehow could not make peace with the fact the there wasn't to be a game tonight. In acts of desperation I called up my friends and other people in my workplace only to ask a question as polite as this:
"Sorry to bug you at this unearthly hour. Do you by any chance happen to play table tennis or might by some holy mistake happen to have a TT ball with you."

Well as expected we could not get what we wanted. I guess even if anybody had it, he would have sworn at me for calling this time for a TT ball. But whatever, the important point now was that we wanted to play and we could not because of that stupid broken ball, I don't even know how it broke. Plan A had failed and so had plan B. Now out of utter desperation and growing restlessness came out plan C. There was a guest house near our place and it hosted a nice little TT room with all the accessories. We realized we would surely get what we wanted there. But the room was opened only to the people staying in the guest house and we would not even be allowed entry.
Plan C said we would have to act all casual and suave to make the guard believe we stayed there. After making the master plan, I and one other folk make our move. We move towards the guest house all chit chatting and whistling as if returning from a good nice walk. We entered the place acting like we owned it. "Aur duty sahi chal rahi hai", I said to the security guard and he replied with a reluctant nod half in sleep trying to recognize who we were. He could not risk questioning our identity as the "sahibs" staying in the guest house won't like being questioned every time they enter or leave. He stood upright and we walked straight ahead as if we were walking in our backyard. We moved straight to the TT room acting all casual and smooth. We made an entry for a phony name and room in the register and went in. The guard outside the room could not care less. After acting to play for 5 mins I pocketed in the ball and we quietly moved out. Smooth as we were, there was no reason for anyone to suspect anything. The act of stealing had a moral implication but I guess stealing a 15 bucks TT ball should count as a negligible sin. And we being so pure and angelic and all, a little sin could do. And after all it was fun; yes it was sort of enjoyable. We come out as casually as we walked in and looking back the exercise did not look all that demanding.

When we were just about to exit the main gate I saw my ally's back, who was moving just in front of me. It seemed kind of straight as though he had a wooden board inside his T shirt. Wow!!!! It was then I realized that my ally was one step ahead. I saw an outline of a TT racket and in my urgency to pocket the TT ball he had swiped the racket. Compared to a 15 bucks TT ball, stealing a 500 bucks racket was a big, even by our standards. We were about to exit and the guard seemed to be totally awake and staring at us. I tried to look away and kept moving. It seemed like he knew something was fishy. I don’t know whether he suspected something or you get this eerie feeling when you have done something you shouldn't have. But whatever, there was no turning back now and as soon as we reached the end of the street and turned around the corner, we ran like madmen to our place. We were laughing all the way back and my associate was holding his newly claimed weapon high in his hand, like a Tipu Sultan's sword.
I don't even remember a bit about the game, whether we played or kept reveling in the joy of our impromptu adventure. I guess whatever we did that we later decided to not to take the guest house street for the next week or so. I might not remember the game that night, it would have been the most satisfying games, but I will not forget the not so dandy but a short little adventure that made the game possible, defying all odds. Thinking about it makes me realize another obvious fact of life
"Almost all the time the journey is more savoring than the destination."
P.S: I guess I was talking about the movie and got carried away. Whatever, don’t watch that stupid movie “I hate love stories”.