Gurgaon

Don't forget to take a right from the T point,
then left, and then left from the lamppost.
And all the alternate routes
that lead to the same spot.

Well, I remember the routes now.
I guide the Uber driver to take an early right
to take a shortcut only the locals know.

When I transitioned
from the girl that just moved in
to the girl who moves with the city.
Can't really tell.

I breathe the smog now
Living under the forever grey skies.
I buy my own groceries, and pay my rent
and barely talk to the girl next door
and the guy that often comes to his balcony
at the same time, I do.
I don't talk to strangers
But I've learned how to talk to strangers.

I go to yoga, everyday.
Well, most of the days.
Some days, I get late and so I skip.
I cycle in the gym to wear out 
the shortcomings of the day.
I stretch to release the toxins
I inhale, daily. 

I put up a brave face
and be brave.
Knowing, I'm my help
in the worst case scenarios
and strangers, the backup plan.

And the struggle to get things done sometimes,
is more than real, it's exhausting
but, strangely, I don't struggle to sleep.

I found friends in strangers
in strange settings
at strange places.

Reconnected with acquaintances
and bid some long due goodbyes, suddenly.

Found a way to catch the sun
in-between concrete spaces.
And found that commute
fueled me on days,
the work couldn't.

This city, with it's rush and reality
had a way to move and yet keep still.

In a city that everyone was cynical about,
I found peace in hustling.

Afterthought: "It all seems so very arbitrary. I applied for a job at this company because they were hiring. I took a desk at the back because it was empty. But no matter how you get there or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift of making that place their home." Creed Bratton's quote from The Office

This is part two of the 3-part series Gurgaon.