flat as a tyre

i just had my first flat tyre today!!! I was just leaving my home on my bike for the computer class when I felt my bike act funny. At first I thought the tyres had come loose or something.. So I stopped, and without getting off the bike, took a quick look. The tyres seemed to be held firmly in place. I rode more cautiously but I still felt this wobble!.. Only after some intense deliberation did it occur to me that it could be the tyres! So I turned to look at the back tyre, and sure enough it was totally flat!

Now that I had figured the problem, I needed to find a place that had the solution. But i didn't know any place nearby. So I just went wobbling around until I found a small vehicle workshop. The guy said he could fix it. I looked at my watch 9.15! My class begins at 9.00 but I usually leave home around 9.05 so that I can get to the institute by 9.15. well this is because, nothing really happens in the first 15 mins of class... and why rob myself of some extra minutes of sleep? And in any case, once my spanish classes restart from sunday, i can't make it to the institute by 9.15 anyway.

well.. getting back to the flat tyre, i asked this guy how much time it would take and he said "20 minutes"... umm ok. i decided to wait.

he was finally done at 9.35! very punctual. "how much?" i asked. "bis rupaiyah (Rs. 20)" he said. so i reached into my pocket for my wallet and... wait.. where's my wallet? my wallet wasn't there!! damn! so i said "look, it seems like i've left my wallet at home... i'll be right back." i'd decided to take a taxi home and be back with the money. just as i was abt to leave he said "don't u have ANY money at all? not even a few rupees?".. "none." he thought for a second and said "ok go get your wallet. take the bike."

i was sooo thankful. i raced home.. located my wallet and raced back. i handed him rs. 100 since i'd no change.. but he only returned rs. 70!.. "how much did u say it cost again?" i asked. "tis rupaiyah (Rs. 30)" he replied! ok...

i don't know if he lied to me the second time or if i heard it wrong the first time, but i was fine with it. 30 sounded pretty reasonable to me.. actually it was lesser than i expected to pay!.. moreover he trusted me (or i'd also have to pay for the cab too) and i was grateful for that!

it was already 9.50 by then though.. so i raced to the institute.. only to find that more than half the class was absent today and so the teacher was recappin on last day's classwork!!