Merit Of Credit Card

She wanted to go mall-hopping.

I wanted to go to Pondy Bazar for shopping.

She preferred a metro rail commute.

I chose Uber cab ride.

She compromised for a Uber ride

I compromised for Mall-hopping

These were just a few mismatched enumerations in our lives. And you might speculate how we were still friends? In fact I too wondered how?  But she humbled me with her magnitude of love and endearment. Her special trait - enormity in generosity.

A black cat crossed our path. Oblivious to it we boarded Uber. 92.7 Big Fm was tuned in with Rj Balaji ( my favourite) as the presenter enthralling the listeners with his witty talks. I could recount the daily dose of cricket commentary on Vijay (Tamil ) TV with Rj Balaji and Cheeka (Kris Srikanth) at their menacing best. Their commentaries were peppered with non-stop comedy that kept us glued to the IPL matches till 12 in the midnight. Their combination - a volley of pristine fun! 

His talks were intercepted by frequent ads that concluded stating, " just swipe and you're the proud owner".! I never was a credit card enthusiast, though one was always present in its snugly fit compartment of my handbag and ever elusive.

She was plugged to earphones with Hindi filmy music, not even an ounce keen on FM.

Mumbled I - Traffic snarl is diluting our shopping spree. Given the inching mobility of the cab.

A deity that appeared dainty was taken in a magnificent procession.

Retorted the cabbie - Don't ever rush. Be steady and sure. You shall succeed!

We appreciated his way of re-inforcing positivity.

Reached destination. She settled the bill of cabbie.

I recompensed his kindness with a 5-star rating and a bonus compliment of ' great conversation'. (For kindness has no price tag.)

The mall had a glitzy entrance, highly air-conditioned (a total respite to the blistering heat outside)

chic interiors and stood tall with its imposing structure with gazillions of merchandise stacked under one roof.

The flurry of discount offers, especially for the swipers (of credit/debit cards) resonated well with the customers. It wasn't a great deal for me though, owing to its frugal usage. We were greeted to a warm reception by the charming girls at the entrance who promoted and offered free samples of cappuccino coffee. She loved it and had it.

I refused it and had hot filter kaapi with the froth bubbling to its rim in the brass tumbler davara.

She couldn't resist and had it too.

We entered the cosmetic section. She was dogmatic about the 'change is constant' principle and was easily hoodwinked into purchasing the products promoted by the sweet sales girls there. She bought a Sensodyne toothpaste, an otherwise Pepsodent stickler.

Me a Colgate fanatic chose Colgate.

She went on to fill her trolley with many 'organic' provisions. Perhaps on her trajectory to a healthy regimen. But I questioned the salesgirl as to how 'Organic' was the word 'Organic'. Unimpressed with the jaded query, she turned to other customers.

She bought the millets. I bought the traditional rice. What I dispelled, she propelled!

A savvy shopper that she was, we walked and waltzed to the tune of 'shop till you drop' with gay abandon,

Until we realized that we parted ways and missed each other in the mammoth complex.

Having filled 2 trolleys with (Un)necessary accessories/goodies, I proceeded to the billing section and found myself trailing in a long serpentine queue.

With just 2 persons ahead of me, I could hear the billing person requesting the customer to enter the PIN number. What a relief mused me, for I didn't have to keep track of pin numbers as I'd always paid in cash.

My turn came. The billing person asked cash or card. I replied cash and pulled out my handbag.

To my utter disappointment, I found no cash. I blurted out 'Card'.

My senses panicky, my fingers throbbed and my heartbeat raced as I luckily found the credit card and gave it to him for swiping. And the PIN, oh my mind was a blur. I had no means to escape from the situation.

I called my friend to seek her help. She wasn't finished yet and was not approachable.

My memory didn't flash the magical pin, time running short and numerous other customers waiting behind, I looked above as a gesture of pleading for god's mercy.

"Kehte hai na - Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho tho puri kainaat usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai".

And Voila, not a delusion but veritable, I confidently entered the number at the nick of time. 

The look above yielded two different numbers in the number plate dangling from each of the billing counters. My counter was 13 and the subsequent was numbered 18. And then there was a splash of redefined hope in me, that cast a magical spell and my memory gushed the PIN. (1318!!!).

My foibles waned with fortuitous fruition to the incident !!

Done and dusted with the vexing concern, I quickly resolved myself from the worry.

Got a call. Customer service from the credit card. We've upgraded your card to platinum from gold. It was a welcome deal for me to accept!!! As lucrative as it did sound.

Have a good day!