The incident on the train

Jaya was travelling from Bombay to Coimbatore. She was a little nervous about it. Not long ago her best friend had been robbed on the train. Someone had done something (definitely mesmerized) to her who slept like a log through the journey and woke up to find her luggage and handbag gone. So even before boarding she had told herself that she was simply not going to sleep. Her son, being the optimist went out of his way to calm Jaya’s nerves. “You don’t worry ma! I ll come, put you on the train and chain the luggages so that no one can take it even at night.”

The d-day came. Her son put her on the train. Took a long chain and locked down the luggages below the seat. He tugged at the lock to show his mother that it was securely locked and gave her the key saying “keep it carefully!” Now that should give you a clue of what was to come later. Jaya safely placed the key in her handbag, tugged the lock herself without looking at her son in the eye (obviously he was super irritated that she wouldn’t trust him). Satisfied, she waved him goodbye.
Her friend got on in the seat next to her at the next station. They both locked down her friend’s luggage to the seat as well and settled down for the 36 hour journey. At night, they both checked their luggages again before lying down. Both of them slept soundly knowing that their luggage was locked and safe. Come morning Jaya’s eyes first went to the luggage below the seat. “phew! Its safe.”

After breakfast, they looked out to see Tirupur station. Theirs was the next. They waited patiently for the Tirupur passengers to get off before they beginning to get ready to get off at Coimbatore. 45mins to go!
Jaya’s friend unlocked her luggage, took the suitcase and kept it on the seat.

Meanwhile, Jaya put her hand into her handbag to search for her key. Key missing! Jaya panicked. At first she searched her handbag without looking into it. Now she looked into it pushing aside all the cosmetics, handkerchiefs, purse, papers etc. Still no key! “Mythili I cant find the key!!!”
“what? Ok don’t panic. We have another half hour to go we ll find it” so saying Mythili picked up Jaya’s bag and emptied the contents on the seat. They searched among the contents. “oh thank god!” said Jaya “you found it?!” came a unison of voices from all those in the coupe. “no no! not the key. But I have been searching for this bill for quite some time. I did not realize that it was under all this stuff in the handbag.” She looked up to find 5 faces staring at her as if she had gone mad. They all went back to sifting through the stuff that was scattered on the seat. No key!

They were near the station and Jaya was hysterical. She had already called up her son once to ask him if he had the key. You ask her what she would have done if her son had the key she had no answer. Obviously she would not have been able to get him over to Coimbatore with the key in time. Still! That doesn’t mean she should not call her son does it. She called him now again to scream at him saying that he had not given her the key. A shouting match ensued between the two. The son had been woken up rudely from sleep and now was being blamed for something he had not done.
Station arrived. The other passengers were getting off. One offered to send someone from the station who maybe able to help. Ten minutes after the train reached the station, a man came to their compartment hefting a looonngg iron rod. It was just the two women now and the man with the rod. He tried to hit the lock and break it.

Meanwhile another man was anxiously waiting on the platform searching for these ladies. Mythili’s husband had called Ramki to go receive the two at the station. Ramki was at the station but he could not find the women. “where could they be? Oh! These women are such a pain. Maybe I should call Mythili’s husband and inform him.”

Ramki: “hello! Mahadeva. Where is Mythili and Jaya?”
Mahadevan: “huh! You are asking me? I thought you were calling me to tell me that they have reached safely. What do mean where are they?”
Ramki: “They are missing!”
Mahadevan: “impossible. Wait I ll call them and get back to you.”
Jaya was looking on as the man was trying to hit the lock on the luggage. Mythili’s phone was on silent.
Mahadevan called back Ramki saying he is unable to reach the women. The men were worried now.
Ramki: “are you sure they are coming by this train?”
Mahadevan: “of course I am. Did you look into their coach?”
Ramki: “I am standing right outside it.”
Mahadevan: “B2?”
Ramki: “oh! They are in B 2 is it? I am standing outside B 4!”
Mahadevan (mental head slap!): “pls go check in the right coach. Maybe they are stil asleep.”
Ramki: “I am on my way. Will call you back!”

He reached the coach to find someone pounding away at the luggage. Jaya was in tears.
“What’s going on?” asked Ramki. Jaya explained what had happened in between tears.

As they were talking the guys rod got caught in the chain. He gave it a tug. And surprise! The luggage came sliding out. The son had not bound the luggage to the seat. The brilliant guy had just chained the luggage to one another but forgot to chain it to the seat. Jaya gave a gasp. She had slept peacefully last night thinking that the luggage was chained fast to the seat. Now she nearly fainted knowing that a thief could have easily stolen her suitcase and bag. The chaining had been absolutely useless.

Mythili began thanking all the gods. “aiyappa! Jaya now you have to go to the kula deivam kovil and break the coconut you promised.” Ramki rolled his eye! Bah women!

So all ended well! Jaya and Mythili thanked the guy. Ramki took the suitcase in one hand and carried the bag over his shoulder. Passers by stared at him for he looked like a criminal being chained and led away.
Back home ramki, his wife, Jaya and Mythili all searched for the key in the handbag again. They found it hiding in some corner of the bag where they couldn’t see it. If only they had found it an hour ago!