MY BEST FRIEND IRENE
A comedy of errors. That’s what she is. Yes. A freak of nature in flesh and blood. We’ve been best friends since we were both 10 years old. She has always been like this. Bubbly, hyperactive, speaks her mind without batting an eyelid and laughs her heart out with the loudest laugh I’ve ever heard.
The thought of penning down her ‘stories of errors’ crossed my mind quite a few times over the years. But I decided to do this now is because she did it again !
‘FLIGHT’FUL DISASTERS
A study says 3 in every 5 people have missed a flight at least once in their lifetime. Most of us fall in this category. But for my freaky friend, there’s one freak accident in EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT ! Yes. You’ve heard this right. Every single journey of hers is laden with stories. Here’s one of the freakiest recent ones:
One can imagine what a working mother of an 8 year old can go through 24 hours before she boards that flight for a vacation. Finishing off daily chores + work deadlines & handovers + packing for herself + packing for 8 year old etc. etc.
But here’s Irene, who’s missed her flight ‘cause she didn’t recognize her own name being announced! At least a few dozen times !
Ok. Given that she’s had an extremely exhausting day. Given that she is genuinely tired and sat on the wrong departure gate. But how can one fathom that she is not used to being called by the name that’s on the ticket, which she purchased herself ??!!
She is on paper before marriage – AUDITY IRENE GOLDSMITH (given by parents and she’s OK with this one)
After marriage, on paper, her name is AUDITY BORAH (husband’s surname. All her papers are in this name. But she’s JUST NOT FAMILIAR with this name).
All close friends and family calls her by her pet name – BIKI (She’s most comfy with this)
Everyone else in office and new friends calls her by her middle name – IRENE (She’s also quite comfy with this)
So, my friend recognizes her name only as either BIKI, or IRENE or AUDITY GOLDSMITH (together mind you!).
‘I’m sorry, I don’t recognize myself by AUDITY BORAH’ was her answer when the airline pressed the panic button for this mother-daughter duo who checked-in alright, but couldn’t be found anywhere. ‘We even checked the rest-rooms!!’ they said. Airport security swung into action suspecting a security hazard. Her luggage had to be de-planed and checked for explosives etc.
And there she was, cursing and buying tickets for the next flight at exorbitant rates.
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