The year was 2006 and our 12th board exams were coming up. We were taking tuition for our weakest subject and strongest enemy, Mathematics. We had to ride about 4 km a day on our bikes for registration.

The atmosphere in the house used to be deadly strict in those days. Our parents wouldn’t let us get a chance to remind us that we were supposed to study hard for our board exams. We, on the other hand, were as careless as ever. Due to this strict attitude from our parents, we used to be reluctant to stay at home and tried to spend as much time outside as possible just to have more time to get away from books and enjoy. Me and my friend Vinesh (aka Vinna) used to live in neighboring areas (or sectors as they are called in my hometown). So we would always go to the license plate and come back together on our bikes.

We would arrive an hour or more before the scheduled time and also come back late just to kill as much time as possible outside the danger zone, which was our homes. As a bonus, our parents would think we spent more time on math since it was hard. They didn’t give us mobile phones by then, which was a huge relief in itself.

There was a railroad crossing on our way that was famous for being almost always closed to vehicles due to the high frequency of trains on that route (now, they have built a bridge over it).

However, as can easily be expected from impatient Indians like us, everyone and everything except cars and other heavy vehicles would usually pass under the pole with a bit of hassle, even when it was closed. So there was no problem for any kind of two-wheeler to cross it under any circumstances.

On the way home, we used to stop our bikes at the crossing and watch the trains go by. We were discussing the estimated speed of the passing train. When a train passed and the post opened, instead of crossing the railway, we would decide to wait for one more train in order to have more time for our important discussion about train speeds and so on until at least 4 or 5 trains arrived. approve. That was a great hobby for us and we loved to do it every day religiously.

One day, we crossed the line and arrived too late before we could get home. It was already dark and there was no way our parents would believe that we studied for so long. I got home at about 8 o’clock and my parents asked the obvious question as soon as they saw my face. For some reason, he wasn’t ready for this already. So when they asked me why I was late, I told them the first thing that came to mind.

“The railway crossing point was closed for too long. Even between trains, they didn’t open it. That’s why I was so late.”

My parents seemed to believe it and I thought I successfully evaded the consequences. The next day, as we went to pay our tuition, I bragged about my presence of mind to Vinesh and explained how he had made this quick excuse for me the night before. He hadn’t even finished telling him when he suddenly pointed at me, “We were riding our bikes, idiot. We could have walked across the post even if it was really closed. Why would we just wait and watch the trains?”

I realized my stupidity and was surprised that my parents didn’t notice this flaw in my poor excuse either, or maybe they knew about it and still decided to ignore it, thankfully. We laughed and laughed at my silly act until our stomachs started to hurt. To this day, whenever we talk about this incident, we can’t stop laughing.

Those really were the days!