4 guys, a girl and a minivan

No, it’s not the name of any new sitcom. Nor is it a crime report. Unless of course you consider having lots of fun criminal.
Ok, back to the story. 4 guys, a girl drove to Pittsburgh in a minivan. The travelers – Mehul, Sandeep, Shashi, Anil and I. We’d intended to start obscenely early... at 4 in the morning. Thankfully, we got late. Hallelujah!! After me preparing some sandwiches for the way while the ‘men folk’ were still getting ready, we finally left at 6.
The drive was, to say the least, awesome. We started on a great note. Mehul kept getting constant reminders to slow down. Then we got a little lost in Ohio. ;) But thanks to the great navigation skills of Anil, we got back on track in a jiffy. Throughout the drive, it was music, leg pulling and a LOT of laughter!!! Even though it was raining ever since we reached Cleveland, we managed not to let our spirits get dampened. Between the fights over what music should be played, finally switching cd’s, changing seats, some snaps and of course the stops at the service plazas, the mood stayed bright and sunny inside the dodge even though it was anything but outside.
Finally, we reached Pittsburgh at around 11.30 in the morning. The view of the downtown was stunning. It was then that I shot my first curse at the rain. We headed straight to the Sri Venkateswara Temple. And I must say I felt humbled after a really long time. Now I don’t know if it was because of the nostalgia attack that I got there or anything else. Let’s leave that as one of the unexplained phenomena that life hurls at you every once awhile.
Out of the temple and it was still raining. I suppose none of us bothered to pray for the rain to stop. Lesson learnt – be practical while praying. You never know when your prayers get answered. And another lesson – be careful of what you wish for. For all you know, it might come true and in a much larger scale. For explanations on this, contact Shashi. :D
Again, (no) thanks to the rain, we couldn’t stop at downtown. After a little mix up on our way out, we again got back on track. By now, we had gotten used to mix ups and straight ups. Experience teaches you everything. This time, even the music scene was a lot more peaceful. Reason one – the junta had grown accustomed to whatever music would be played. I guess it didn’t make that much of a difference. And reason two - the controls were in the hands of yours truly. Reason three – the driver was Sandeep. Between the two of us, we managed to play the discs that suited our interests. Talk about monopolies.

Return journey was just as rainy as the ongoing one. More, rather. Nevertheless, the inside atmosphere still remained as charged up as it was in the ongoing journey. The cartoon network road show was still playing a ‘Best Of’ series.
I guess the pattern had been established. Because on our way back we again got lost at the same place where we’d lost ourselves on our way to Pittsburgh. But then, before Mehul starts abusing me and accusing me of defamation, let me add a minor detail. Some exits on the freeway were closed, and we had to take detours. I wonder how I forgot to mention this small point the previous time. Oops! My apologies. ;)

All in all, 4 guys, a girl and a minivan had awesome fun. Came back dry, tired and still charged. A day well spent. Next trip on the cards – anywhere. When – anytime. Only improvisation required – a little more sun. Will pray for that before we start our next journey. Mr. God, you listening?

~K.