The prophet Muhammad travelled from Mecca to Medina with his followers to escape persecution. The same punya-bhoomi had some crooks too. It is about my travel with a cheat on the same land.

It was the prophet’s blessing to clear a sluggish immigration queue. The officer asked something. I could not understand anything. I repeatedly told him, I didn’t understand any of his words. He started uttering the same words at high volume. I was wondering, did he think I was deaf? However, he cleared me at last.

I was a bit nervous as most of the people left when I finished my immigration. The baggage claim area looked like a haunted house. My luggage was rolling around the belt way as a lost-child in Mariamman temple thiruvizha (a festival). I came across a lonely place called the arrival hall.

I was blinking as I could not find a way to get into a taxi. I felt like I was in Chennai airport. If anyone wants to move all alone in Chennai airport, that would be one of his worst decisions of his life. On the other side, we’ll certainly feel the ‘aroma’ of Chennai airport as soon as they come out. Riyadh is no way less than it.

I enquired one gentleman there about the way to the taxi stand. He gave me a surprising story, like all taxis are gone already. What an idiot I am. I believed it too. (Mistake 1) Because, I was stranded at midnight in Chennai without bus/auto/taxi! That may be the reason .

The ‘gentleman’ told me that he himself was a taxi driver. He told me the fare in advance. I accepted it too (Mistake 2). Then he took me to the parking area, not to the taxi stand. I felt something was not correct; still I followed him (Mistake 3). It was not a taxi; it was his own private car. I got in (Mistake 4). He tried to bait me. I avoided. He suggested a nice place to eat. He ‘offered me’ an opportunity to eat dinner with him. He suggested to me a world-class place to drink. I did not bite them. He had his innate capacity to aim at the pockets of duffers like me.

Then I throw my bait. I told him that I had no money and I needed to collect money from my partner – who was waiting at the hotel – to pay him. Of course, it was not a 100% agmark lie. It is not 100% ISI truth also. He bit my bait :-). He sounded as if confused. All of a sudden, he doubted if I’d pay him as I accepted.

He did not talk much after that. He dropped me in the hotel. The hotel said, it was not the right place. They had another branch. This ‘gentleman’ dropped me in the wrong branch. He told me it was near by and suggested I walk. He urged me to pay him. I refused. In turn, I asked him to drop me in the right branch.

He touted more money to drop in the other branch, which I refused. I became the assailant then (Not sure if it is a mistake or smart move) “Either drop me at the right branch. else, drop me again at airport”. As more people were involved in the scene, I was ready to call my partner from the hotel’s phone.

Finally, he dropped me in the right place. I paid him what I accepted. During my return journey, I paid half of what I paid to that gentle man.

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z 2022 with theme Yātum ūrē!