Member-only story
The Train Ride that Almost Got Me Hitched, Twice
Not one, but two propositions on a 20-hour journey
It was the spring of 2011. I had completed the first year of my two-year MBA program and I was headed home for a few days before my internship began in a little over a week.
The journey back home was one I rather looked forward to. It was a long, nearly 20-hour train ride from the eastern part of India, a city called Jamshedpur, to the western part of India, to the rather well-known city of Mumbai or Bombay, as the home of Bollywood was once called.
I was booked in a 2nd class A/C compartment. For those not from India or a developing nation, this meant that the train coach was air conditioned and had 2-tier seating. A lower berth and an upper berth on either side facing each other i.e. room for 4 in the cabin that was separated from the passage by a mere curtain.
Only the 1st class cabins got the luxury and privacy of proper doors but they cost nearly as much or more than coach-class airfare.
I was 22 at the time, and so had been auto-granted the upper berth. 22 M is a perfect candidate to get the upper berth when the other passengers are a “53 F” and a “47 F.” The two middle-aged women had the lower berths, while the upper berth opposite mine only booked for the last stretch…
