Chapter 2: Driving on the left again!

Okay let’s rewind the fast-forward scene from the last chapter. We got married total Bollywood style – both families unsure (sure it will not work) but happy to support. I had secured some college places in UK and soon after the rituals were over, flew across to the other side of the world. On the Christmas Day I landed in the Queen’s land to start a new life.

Lucky me! The most familiar sight was that driving was still on the left. However, I ran out of familiarities right after that. I never thought I will miss the scary canines from our Indian streets, the variety of horns ranging from the rickshaw drivers to the trucks, the sound of pressure cookers going off in every house, to the basic sight of another homo sapiens.

 I would pick up the intercom phone to hear the leaves rustle outside and numerous boots stomping on the ground in the morning hours of passers-by heading to work. Nope, they would not speak like they did in India. No Shyamala Chachi from next door asking, “Why so early, did you pick up an extra shift?” or Raja da from down the street, huffing and puffing running towards you with a packet of  Jalebis and a big grin across his sweaty face, “Today I ran a lot to and from the house, I think this would help me get in shape and to keep my sugar level from dropping too much I need at least 5 of these fresh Jalebis for breakfast!” For the five out of the six and a half years I spent in the UK I did not even see my neighbors. That’s when I started learning to drive on the left side again.

I had an international driving license, but as we know it was as authentic as Benarasi Sarees sold on amazon. I started taking lessons – narrow roads, icy weather and strict rules. On top of that Indians as always anywhere in the world spreading gossips just to pull other Indians down. They would tell me scary stories about how the English police would torture you even if you just scratched another car. I owe so much to England and the third on the list was its gift to let me drive. Since I started driving, it has given me independence, a sense of flying, a sense of changing direction, and being in control at the same time. Sometimes I would wonder how many looks and touches by the so-called pervert uncles I could have avoided in the Kolkata buses if only I knew well to drive on the left side.

Let me take you through the machines I have had so far. My first car was more like my dad – tall (long), strong, stubborn and grey (Ford Mondeo). The second car was more like my hubby – short (compact), cute, and silver grey (Honda Jazz). The third one was like my Economics teacher – perfect height, very balanced and powerful (VW Passat). The fourth one was like my son – my baby, good looking (red-vermillion), extremely reliable, talk of the town, powerful and smooth (BMW X3). The fifth one was Tesla; I do not know anyone like that other than Barry Allen – The Superhero Flash.  The sixth one exactly like my aunt – very caring and smooth, at the same time with a big heart and never blue (actually blue) (Lexus RX 450). These machines have played a huge role to shape me the way I am – strong, fast, competitive and extremely emotional while driving on the left and the right side of life.

Sorry, when it comes to driving, I do get diverted and always feel the need to introduce the important characters – my machines. So, let’s take a U-turn back to the Buckingham palace. We moved three houses while in the UK, the last one being an apartment that was our first home together that we could call our own. My college life in the UK was exciting and stressful. Unlike India I made friends, and with one I am super close even today. She has been there from our very first house, to my son’s birth to wishing me well on every occasion and been a shoulder when I needed it most. The UK college days added a lot of value to practical learning unlike our traditional Vedas that we are forced to gulp down in India. So, I ended up doing not one but two Masters degree from UK. I am hesitant to say though both these degrees shaped my career, but the Indian Bachelor’s is what kicked start my career to drive and glide on the left side.

I had been working for a year at a job straight after my first college and I got an opportunity from a recruiter friend to go interview with a big Pharma company. Me being a Bengali and massively in love with my voice blew the interview (at least that’s what I thought) by talking very negatively about outsourcing to India only ending the interview to learn that they had just completed a billion dollar transfer to a company in my hometown Kolkata. I shook the manager’s hand and politely but quickly left the premises. I got a very surprising call the next afternoon with a job offer. Later I learned the Head of Finance had shared my resume with our VP of Sales as she is also from my birth city and according to her as I made it into the college of dreams for millions (not mine – remember) I should be able to handle anything. I landed a dream job that helped me get my first machine to drive on the left side.

Small things can bring great happiness. Like Sunshine in the UK helps Indians get out of depression (no offence – it really helped me). My job with this Pharma company – made me more responsible, showed me how hard work always gets recognized and how recognition drove me to give more. I was not only working to go up in the career which I thought was always something that drove me, but I got involved with so many different projects that impacted patient lives directly. I know, I know I sound like one of the ideal bahoos of Ekta Kapoor, but I really felt inside me a huge relief to work for this company knowing how much it was giving back and connecting with patients. Though I very much grew up in a profit/loss environment being from a middle class but since then till now salary/bonus does not really drive me on either the left or right side of my life.

Work became life and life was just filled with work. We used to enjoy shopping at ASDA on Friday nights so that I could park in an empty lot and not end up in prison for scratching another car while parking. We would spend the Holidays with my cousins in Wolverhampton, I would shop business at NEXT and Debenhams and we would go to London to walk around on alternate weekends. London – now that city is super close to heart, as soon as the trains would slowly move into the Waterloo Station the heart was filled with warmth and excitement. The warmth got warmer with the Pret-A-manager’s hot chocolate croissant and a Costa coffee. I have heard that’s how one feels when they go back home except no one really must pay to use the washroom like we did while visiting London. So other than literally money down the drains, life was really smiling at me while driving on the left side again.