that new year's eve...

This happened on new year's eve. We were on our way to a friend's house whose birthday it was on the 31st. So we thought of celebrating her birthday and also bringing in the new year at her place and then going out to hit the celebrations in town later in the night.

On the way, hubby halted the car to buy some flowers for the host and while I waited, a little snub faced kid tapped at my window and pleaded with me to buy a balloon. Hubby got back, saw the kid, opened the back door and told him to drop all his heart shaped red balloons inside the car. The jubilant kid ran off with his earnings. We agreed no kid should to be selling balloons at traffic signals on new year's eve.

As we started off again, hubby kept adjusting his car seat. I noticed him quirming and stiffening but didn't mention it. As we reached the friend's place, they looked down from the 11th floor and waved. I got out, looked up and waved too and then signalled for someone to come down and help with some of the party stuff we were carrying in the boot.

I walked ahead while hubby followed and another friend rushed down to help. As I hugged the host and another friend at the door, she kept looking behind me.

"Where is she?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Your friend?"

"Who friend? Oh, my Delhi friend...? She couldn't come." I remember mentioning that I'll be getting a friend along.

"Couldn't come? Then who is she?"

"Who she? Nobody's come."

"But we saw her getting out of the car!"

"Who? What do you mean? It's just M and me!"

"Jesus, what's wrong with you? I swear I saw her getting out the back door when you got out from the front."

After much screaming and swearing, we believed that, while hubby and I got out and waved at friends 11 floors up, they waved back at 3 of us. A smartly dressed woman in black, with straight long hair got out from the car too with us. They assumed that it was my friend from Delhi who was supposed to join us and didn't really think anything much. Only when we insisted nobody else came with us, then did everybody stare at each other white faced.

I still think back and wonder what actually happened that night and if some lonely soul really took a ride with us, first sitting behind and pushing the car seat and then disappearing to some other party once we reached our destination.