WHEN SLOPPY GOT LUCKY

The Sunday rolled out in a customary manner when I was rolling on my bed with my mind being pulled into reality by my stupid roomies having their early morning chat. Both of them had to go out for a meeting to which even I should have gone. I had already spent my Saturday in GRAND Masti, Pizza Hut and football; so was really not in mood to commit for something which I can afford to miss.

So I had my Sunday breakfast of Dosa with sugar and sat to study. Yes, blame it on my friends or approaching test on Tuesday; I sat to study.

I quite sincerely studied till afternoon, with Facebook running alongside giving company. Well it was afternoon and I thought to order food from outside but with recent outings and expenses, I curtailed my belly’s crying out.

I went to play football and was expecting a match practice today as it was the last practice before mid-semester. As expected after a good long basic work out session we started a match.

I don’t want to take names here but off late I going to football field had become a useless ritual. I still love football and enjoy playing but sometimes you reach a point where you almost give up the attempt to excel. I don’t know why but that feeling had started coming. Seeing juniors younger than me going ahead of me and the sight of me sitting on bench with juniors playing in near future often sends a chill down my spine. I can’t help it or maybe I can but I don’t want to. I played shit today; sloppy like hell. I played worse than most of my competitors on the field. Being beaten by a striker 3-4 times in a half hour game is nothing short of a day of embarrassment for a centre back like me. I was embarrassed, sad and felt like shit.

I came back to room and quickly went up to take a shower avoiding any conversation with my fellow team mates which would remind me of my performance. I didn’t eat snacks in mess as I was planning to go for the Engineer’s Day event and eat High Tea.

I changed and left for the event. I had someone to meet there so I went little early. I had expected the quiz to have started but fortunately or unfortunately it had not. The prize money Rs.1500 had pulled in enough crowd on a Sunday, that too a week before mid-semester. I sat behind in last row with 3^rd year Telugu gang. The quiz started and so did our comments. In a sporty mood I asked Manas to take part and seeing Rs.1500 prize money he also agreed to participate.   

Qualifying round started up and we had to answer ten questions. The questions were tough enough that I didn’t know most of it, but easy enough that Manas could answer 5-6.

I was in my check-capris and slippers. Sitting below the AC I was freezing.  The results were going to be announced for 4 selected teams to come up on stage. I was still freezing so I quietly found a hot corner spot and took my chair there. I took off my slippers and sat cross legged on the chair to watch the up-coming quiz comfortably. I was about to switch on my phone when I heard on the speakers, “the winners are, first team is Sai Manas and Abhinav Krishnan”.

I couldn’t stop grinning. I told Sai Manas that I don’t want to go but he said with his heavy accented Hyderabadi english “come on dude!”

I was feeling stupid but lucky; and moreover I was stunned at my luck. It felt like some sort of garbage of misfortune piling up on me. I was sure of being embarrassed on stage. I was going up on stage for a Technical quiz. The statement was an embarrassment in itself.

I was again feeling stupid on stage but later when all four teams were up on the stage. The competition felt even. It was lack of quality in crowd that brought us on stage not luck.

The quiz started and most of the questions bounced on all 4 team tables and went to audience.

The lady luck started smiling at us when Manas got an easy one and we opened our account. The quiz went on and lady luck literally sat with me on this one. It was question regarding a Roman emperor, his amulet and the famous word he used on it for protection from disease. Though history was my field of interest, this one bounced off. It was then that Revant, the quiz-master gave a clue; the word had 11 letters.

  After reading Da Vinci’s code I have started playing a lot with words and I played well with this question when out of the blue I presented the answer ABRACADABRA.

Lady luck kept giving us kisses when easiest of guesses like Bill Gates for anything on Microsoft and Android versions on picture of sweets fetched us points;   points which sailed us all the way to victory.

Yes! We won. From sitting and commenting on last row we ended up winning the cash prize. It was crazy stuff and I was quite literally bowled over by the behaviour of lady luck. Since when did lady luck have a thing for me?

The sad part of the day was after the jubilant victory I didn’t get high tea because I don’t break line and by the time I reached Bhaina following queue, the food was over.

Well what to do. Such is life dearies.