The Bruising Ego

My Pursuit!

It wasn't a dream, I simply spaced out for a while, I was still on the streets!

My mind was blank, perhaps for the first time in my life.
It took me some time to regain my consciousness, but the moment when I did, I raced to the nearby police station and explained them as delicately as possible of the events that transpired right before me. They had this dull look as I narrated the whole thing. 

Then finally the ice was broken with these verses -

"So the only proof that you have for being conned is a hunch?"

"Well, I did cross-question them, to verify my intuition"

"You haven't even got the poster checked for authenticity before coming here and now you are playing the blaming game?
This is not how it works son."

The guy actually had a point. I was so sure of being conned that I neglected all the other possibilities. I thanked him and contacted a buddy of mine who is really good in getting along with strangers and has plenty of contacts up his sleeve.

He gave me an address of a collector whose sole purpose of living was to collect vintage posters and artifacts with historical importance. However, that guy's place was a three-hour journey from my current location. The worst part was that I had lost all my money in that little stunt and now I was officially broke!

To add more to the sheer bad luck, I was almost out of gas. My "fortune teller" was now an hour away and he was stuck in a meeting and it would take him forever to reach my spot if I were to request him.

I was a newbie to this town and my habit of keeping liquid cash rather than a card for urgency was finally kicking me in the gut.
I had no clue over my next course of action here.
This moment reminded me of a movie I saw a few years ago, 'Around the world in 80 days' and I thought to myself,  those guys travelled all across the globe in 80 days without spending even a single penny and I seem to be freaked out on a three-hour journey? I think I can make it, it's time to make my own story!!

I looked around for any way I can use for transportation however, my major concern was keeping my 'out of gas car' safe in a storage area nearby. I thought to myself, the safest place would have to be a parking lot but they are gonna charge me. I finally decided to think of the present rather than of the inevitable future.

I parked my car and started to walk towards my destination on foot . It's not that taking a lift as a hitch-hiker didn't pop in my mind but I despise so many things, that I at-times run out of options, hitch-hikers being one of them.

While I was walking, I realized how impossible that task was, considering the fact that I have been procrastinating to go for gym from the past year with one thing or the other. I was slowly going out of breath, there was no stamina left in me, I thought to myself, 'It has been only half an hour, I am sure I can do better than that?' 

Then I heard my inner voice say 'No! you cannot', my body had finally indicated the threshold, it was time to retire, but where? 

That was the real question!

I was losing my vision, everything seemed that blurry, it was clear that if I walk another step, I was going to faint.

The entire incident replayed in my head as if I was reliving the most dreadful moment of my life all over again, I didn't have a contemporary vision any more.

Maybe, this was all a dream?

Let's do the old pinch thing!

Ouch!

It was a dream. I am awake!
Before I knew it, I had a roof on the top of my head and I was lying in a bed, was I day dreaming while walking about 'sleeping here' or is it the other way round? 

A lot of 'ings'  there, that couldn't be true?

What if it is?

Let's do the old pinch thing again,  quick pinch and check, pinch and check.

Ouch!

This is real, I am in an apartment! I am saved or kidnapped? I thought!

Last I checked, I was walking towards my poster guy, I decided to get up but got startled by a soft and yet high pitched voice.

'You are lucky that I am a doctor! '