I had just talked to the embassy and had the flight reservation page open when the the phone rang.
It was a friend who had spoken to me two months earlier about joining him in a software project. It would have required me to stay put for about 6-12 months. We couldn’t agree on the price for my time then. He was calling today to say that they are willing to pay what I wanted.
But I had just talked to the embassy and had the flight reservation page open.
I had been thinking about this trip for over a year. I had been dreaming of backpacking across Africa. Vast stretches of plains, immense herds of wildlife, great lakes, and a variety of captivating cultures. That’s a lot to regret not seeing.
So I told him that I cannot join because it will just take another year out of my life and who knows if I will be able to travel next year or not.
“Tera kuch nahi banega, you are going to die like this, kabhi yahan kabhi wahan, I’ll place a bottle of liquor at your grave when you die because that’s all that you care about,” he said.
“Why do you sound like it’s a bad life?” I laughed.