Of a Pair of Pairs

Music in my head: Garmarna- Herr Mannelig
Today's weather: Cool

Some people have the weirdest habit of socializing with complete strangers. It maybe commonplace in the 'west', but in India, you have to have a pair to go and make arbitrary small talk with a complete stranger.

My encounters with such 'paired' people had been few and far between, at least till today morning. Everything changed today morning.

Instance 1:

I board a bus to go to Chennai from Trichy, from where I'd catch a flight to Delhi. A strange man comes and sits next me, and is surprisingly warm right from the word go.

Man: (Nod of the head)
Me: (nod back)
Man: Hello paa! Madras going you?
Me: Yes anna.
Man: Madras good place. Trichy very haat.
Me: Yes anna.
Man: (Wide smile)
Me: (Smile back)
Man: (after a while) Small help paa.
Me: What anna?
Man: You have twenty rupees?
Me: (bewildered pause)
Man: Urgent need paa, bus ticket naat full money.
Me: (Mellowing a little) Ok anna, let the conductor come, I'll pay.
Man: No! Give money now. Me other bus, not this bus.
Me: Anna, I don't have change.
Man: How much you have?
Me: Only 500 anna.
Man: Give me 500, I bringing change.
Me: (totally bewildered) I cannot do that anna!
Man: Small help paa, only 50 rupees.
Me: You said 20 earlier.
Man: Ok 20, give.
Me: I can't give you anna, I'm a college student, going home, I have only little money.
Man: Please pa!
Me: No anna, please, I cannot.
Man: (Dirty look) Wokay, wokay, I going.

And then he was gone. What a pair on him, I imagine.

Instance 2:

I reach the airport, buy a cappuccino that cost 80 bucks, and sat down determined to enjoy it, when today's second pair walks towards me, smiles and assumes a seat next to me.

Man: Hello, you going where?
Me: Delhi.
Man: Good, good. Delhi very nice place. I been in Delhi once.
Me: Ok.
Man: You from delhi.
Me: Yes, I live there.
Man: Ok. What you doing here?
Me: I'm studying at Trichy.
Man: Engineeringaa?
Me: Yes.
Man: Wokay, wokay. College leave aa?
Me: Yes anna.
Man: How long paa?
Me: One week anna.
Man: Wokay, you going to see your fathers and mothers aa?
Me: (In my mind: What!!?)(Stifling laughter) Yes anna.
Man: (big smile)
Me: (Big smile) ok anna, my flight is about to depart.
Man: Wokay wokay.

I grab what's left of my coffee and get the hell out of the area. What a pair on that guy, I imagine.

I've got five more hours to wait at the airport and I don't need any crystal balls to tell me that I have to watch out for more pairs flung at me.