17. MUMBAI DIARIES- PART 1

20th May- Day one

Kolkata Airport Lounge, 5.40a.m.

While sitting in the airport lounge in, waiting for my flight, I finally opened my diary and decided to begin writing this journey.

A few weeks ago, life looked very different.

I was supposed to join Smith on his ship from Belgium. For months, I had been preparing paperwork, planning everything carefully, waiting excitedly for the day we would finally sail together again. But unfortunately, for reasons beyond our control, it did not happen. Everything went in vain at the last moment.

I felt heartbroken in a quiet kind of way- the kind that comes after months of preparation, hope and imagining a life that suddenly disappears before it even begins.

During those difficult days, I kept talking to my one and only closest friend, Nilofer. We have known each other since our college days back in 2009. We were hostel mates once- sharing rooms, clothes, gossip, heartbreaks, midnight cravings, exam stress, and all those chaotic little moments that somehow become lifelong memories.

Now she lives in Mumbai with her mother and the cutest Persian Cat named Wish. She is one of the strongest and most independent women I know, balancing work, life, and adulthood so gracefully.

One day while I was telling her how upset I felt about not being able to join Smith, she suddenly said,

“Come to Mumbai. We will have fun. You will feel better.”

And honestly, that one sentence changed everything. Fourteen days ago, on 8th May, late at night around 11p.m, I discussed it with Smith over a WhatsApp call.

Without a second thought, he told me to go. So, I did something impulsive and beautiful.

I booked my flight for 20th May and my return ticket for 1st June.

And the moment the tickets got confirmed, I immediately mailed them to Nilofer.

From that night onward, the two of us started planning everything- what we would cook, where we would go, which cafes we would sit in for hours, what movies we would watch, and all the gossip and life conversations waiting for us after years.

Yesterday I packed my bags.

One suitcase. One backpack.

A few comfortable cotton tops and shorts, my laptop, my diary, and of course, my pen box- because somehow pens always make me feel emotionally safe while traveling.

Last night I could barely sleep.

This is not my first time in Mumbai.

I have visited the city several times before, but somehow, I still love it every single time. There is something about Mumbai that makes for feel alive even before you arrive.

Maybe it is the chaos. Maybe the sea. Maybe the feeling that nobody has time to judge you there.

This trip is different though.

I am going solo. Staying 12 days with my best friend. No important work. No deadlines. No responsibilities. Just a fun trip.

And that excitement kept me awake almost the entire night.

Today I woke up at 3.10 in the morning, got ready quietly, wore my absolute favourite comfortable white sleeveless kurta with pink cotton pants, booked a cab, hugged my in-law’s goodbye, and left for the airport.

Thankfully my house is very close to the airport, so the drive took barely 10 minutes. The roads were almost empty that hour, carrying that peaceful silence only very early morning knows. After reaching the airport, I completed all the formalities and headed straight to the lounge.

I picked a cozy sofa corner and made myself a comforting little breakfast plate- soft idly with coconut chutney, creamy hummus, sweet corn, a slice of aloo paratha, and a warm bowl of chicken stew that tasted surprisingly good at 5 in the morning.

Now I am sitting here alone, eating slowly, watching people rush toward different gates while the flight update screen keeps changing every few minutes in front of me. And somewhere between heartbreak and healing, between cancelled plans and spontaneous decisions, I think this journey has already begun changing something inside me.

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