You don’t know. But I have done that.

It’s simple. Fairly like a story.

During the last Easter, I was going home to meet my parents. It was a train journey.

The snake-like train resembled a pregnant belly but full of nostalgic wistfulness. The old man who had colonized my side seat never seemed to be friendly enough to get up and offer the seat to me. I tried to disregard it and settled myself on the upper birth.

The train reached Pune. The rest of the journey seemed to be an unending twine of hour-like minutes. By this time, some Police Officers came in patrolling with their noses spread and eyes wide open like church bells.

Like every other passenger, I too was asked to show my luggage. The inspector’s face bloomed with a disgraceful interest when he found the newly bought trolley-bag. Suddenly, he asked me to open the bag.

Some smuggling racket had been seized during the day and thus the inspectors were checking each and every package they found nosy (sometimes cozy too).

A pack of cotton kerchiefs, specially bought for my Papa, two crates of Dairy Milk chocolate, a fine leather bag for my mom, clothing kept for my brother and sister…the inspector was finding himself amused while pulling the neatly packed items one by one, wondering he was in a ‘tug-of-war’

Now comes our ‘hero’, the wine bottle. Like a dog snatching a bone, the police man picked up the bottle. By this time his fellow police men also joined the bandwagon. I was called towards a private zone on the train. Taking my greenness with Hindi for a ride, they could convince me to pay 1000 bucks in order avoid a police enquiry and subsequent legal actions. ‘If you go by the law’, the lead officer mumbled, ‘you will end up paying 3000 bucks’

‘1000 bucks fine for a 300 bucks wine??’ Irony scowled at me.

‘No sirs… I don’t carry that much money...’ But I had, I knew.

‘Shhh….. quietly’…. The officer reminded me. ‘Show me your purse’ … He added.

My purse betrayed me and I ended up paying 1000. Money works wonders….; the unlawful bottle returned to my bag in no time.

I couldn’t believe myself. Distracted and the most distressed, I reached my home.

But by that time, I had realized that my petty wine had transformed to a pricey Champagne.