Stranger(?) on a Train

The doors on the train closed right after I boarded. I guess all the running paid off! The train conductor looked at me and said - "You barely made it!". I was so breathless that I couldnt gather enough air to say "I know". So  I managed to nod my head to agree with him that he was right.

It was the summer of 1999. I had landed in the US of A a couple of months earlier and was slowly learning the ways of the land. I had learnt that a sale is not really a sale, that "how are you doing" is a form of salutation rather than a genuine interst in my health and well being and that holding hands with male friends was well - gay.

I  sat on the first empty seat I could find to catch up on all the oxygen that I had spent running. A couple of minutes later, my "blackout" was almost over and my breathing returned to normal. My mind instructed me to get to my daily routine - which was to people watch; but my brain begged to differ and was recommending me to take a nap. The party I attended the previous night had run into the wee hours of the morning and apparently, had taken a toll on me.

********************************

I was crossing the frontiers of sleep territory when I noticed a man sitting opposite to me. He looked Indian (not American Indian - an Indian from India. Sometimes I think we Indians have to makeup a lot for Columbus' mistake). He might have been in his mid thirties, definitely a techie in the valley and had a warm smile on his face. "That was a close call", he said, "you could have missed the train". I remembered my manager saying - "It is totally normal for strangers to start conversations in this country; so don't shy away from it". Well, here was my chance. "Yeah", I responded, "I am glad I was not wearing the shoes I got on sale - they would have made me run slower!".  He made a sincere effort to laugh so I would not realize how bad myjoke was. After exchanging  pleasentries, we started discussing about careeers, economy, the work culture and life in general. He said that he had been in the valley for 10 years. I was eager to crosscheck with  my "things that had to be accomplished by a software engineer in 10 years" checklist and see how well this gentleman had scored. 

"So are you a citizen now?" I asked.

"No, I never planned to stay this long here - who knows, if I stay here longer, I might be one"

"Oh, ok. Since you have been in the software field for so long, you must be a director or a manger right?"

"No, I just lead a team of engineers to build products. I provide guidance and wisdon from experience, I would say."

Hmm. So far, he's not scoring great in my checklist of "elements required for success".

Sensing that I was not impressed by his  answers, he went to to say "I do have a great team though - I guess it is your priorities that chose your career for you. My prioirty is to have a great working environment and be around smart  and talented people and to learn from them".

Nice Excuse for you lack of skills, I thought to myself. Without skipping a beat, I jumped on to my next bullet item - "So did you buy a house?"

He smiled and mildly and nodded his head to mean "No". I was sure what he was thinking  was - "This kid has planned out his entire life and has jotted down his criteria for success. I am sure the success stories of Indian software engineers making it big in the valley has got to his head. He needs to take it easy and enjoy life" - or atleast thats what his expression conveyed.

"Well, I may not be a director and may not own a house - but instead of all those board meetings and offshore calls, I get to spend time with my family and have fun with them. We can afford to go to all the fun places and have more play time with the money which would otherwise go into the mortgage. I choose to spend money and time when I am in good health, when my kids are young and when we can all have fun as a family. What will I do with all the time and money when I age and my kids no longer want to be with their parents?"

"You have a point there" I said. "Give it a little more thought", he responded and continued - "This is my stop - see you around sometime - By the way, my name is Sunil; nice meeting you, buddy".

"Oh, what a coincidence, my name is Sunil too", I replied with a surprised look on my face. I was expecting the same from him, but he remained calm and whispered - "I know -  I AM YOU, just ten years from now. Why don't you stop planning and start living? Trust me, you will have a lot of fun."

********************************

I woke up to a pat on my back - "wake up man,  it's our station! You bachelors party too hard, I tell you - You have been sleeping all the way!". It was my colleague from work who had boarded the train a couple of stations after mine. We got out of the train and walked towards the shuttle. Suddenly, I got the message from my dream. I smiled, took my "success" checklist, shredded it to pieces and threw it in the next trash can I could find. 

It is 2009 and now, I hope one of these days I will meet a man in his mid forties who will tell me how my next ten years would be like.