u/GlitchIn_d_Matrix

​The Daily Nightmare

I live near Shahad and commute daily to Vikhroli for work. I’ve been traveling by local train for about 7 years now, and anyone on this route knows the absolute torture that is the stretch between Shahad and Kalyan (specifically from Titwala to Kalyan).

​Because of the limited number of railway tracks, local trains regularly halt between these stations for a frustratingly long time. I’ve literally been stuck in a halted train for over 45 minutes before. It’s just as bad coming back at night—the local is always sidelined to let North-bound express trains pass.

I'm someone who values time and peace of mind over saving a few bucks, so I started looking for workarounds.

I tried taking the train up to Kalyan and then catching a shared auto to Ulhasnagar 1. ​That turned out to be incredibly inconvenient. The auto drivers would always insist I squeeze into the front seat (the classic male passenger struggle) so they could stuff three passengers in the back. Plus, you end up wasting so much time just waiting for the auto to fill up before it even moves.

I realized riding my own two-wheeler to Kalyan station was the most viable option. I’ve been doing this for 4 months now, and here is my experience:

​ Ultimate Flexibility: I can leave on my own schedule. I am no longer at the mercy of stubborn auto drivers or erratic train halts.

​Massive Time Savings: Yes, I have to pay ₹40 daily for parking at Kalyan plus the separate cost of petrol, but the trade-off is 100% worth it. I am saving so much time for myself and entirely skipping the headache of standing in a crowded, stationary train. ​

I originally considered getting a second-hand scooty just for this station run.

​I ended up buying a brand new Suzuki Access 125 Ride Connect (ABS Edition), cause why not😅. It gets me to the station in comfort.

​Has anyone else on the Central line found similar hacks to save their sanity? Would love to hear your opinions.

​I just need to vent about this situation with a female coworker.

This may be a lengthy story, so please bear with it😅

​We live close to each other, so our company allocated the same cab for us to commute to and from the office. Initially, I would just play music in the car, and she really liked my taste....Slowly, our conversations started getting deeper, and we began flirting heavily.

​One day, we were randomly discussing our backgrounds and realized we share the same gotra. For those who don't know, traditionally, marriages within the same gotra are a big issue for families. Because of this, I started cutting myself off from her, both on WhatsApp and in person, assuming it was a dead end.

​But then she started dropping massive hints. She invited me to lunch with her friends. Out of nowhere, she started telling me how her family was looking for a guy for her older sister, and they found a great match who coincidentally had the same gotra—and her family was totally fine with it!!! Her friend even chimed in saying, "Who cares about gotra nowadays?" My coworker agreed, saying as long as the surname is different, it's fine🙂

​I took this as a huge green light. We went back to flirting, sending each other romantic reels on Insta, and sometimes we'd even stop the cab on the way home just to eat pani puri together, NGL, I really used to enjoy that moment a lot.

​But here’s where it gets frustrating. Whenever I actually tried to take her out on a proper date, she would make excuses. Once, I planned to pick her up on my bike from a local station. She refused at the last minute, claiming her sister's sasural is near and if someone saw us, it would be a problem. That same day, she made 2 or 3 other completely different excuses. She started leaving my WhatsApp messages on "read" or "unseen," even though she was actively posting stories on Instagram.

​Eventually, she called me to talk about random daily stuff. I told her I wanted to meet in person because I had something important to say. She insisted I tell her on the phone. I told her that since we were so into each other, I wanted to take her on a real date.

​Her response? She completely flipped the script. She said, "But you know because of the gotra issue, we can't be together."

​I asked her why she was flirting so much and being so close to me if that was the case. The call cut off. The following Monday, I met her in the office and confronted her about all the hints she was dropping. She blatantly told me she "didn't have any feelings" for me. She claimed people in her team told her I liked her, but she felt nothing.

​I told her fine, from now on I won't bother you. I'm taking a step back and our paths are separate. She tried to tell me I "wouldn't be able to handle her" anyway and suggested we stay friends. I told her I wouldn't be able to give her that kind of effort anymore. I even stopped taking the shared cab to distance myself.

​Fast forward 1 to 2 months. I had moved on. Out of nowhere, she starts looking for me. I’d be eating snacks in the canteen with my team, and she would come sit at my desk, asking why I was ignoring her.

​Then she called me, accusing me of changing and not talking to her("Tum badal gaye ho"). I didn't want to be rude, so I made an excuse about preparing for a job switch. I reiterated that I had no expectations from her.

​That’s when she dropped this on me: "Earlier I didn't understand, but now I am ready to do all what couples do." I mean wtff....kya hi kahu is ladki ko mai ab then,

​I told her straight up: Because of the gotra issue, if we moved forward, I wouldn't be able to marry her down the line, and I refuse to ruin a girl's life or waste her time. She just rudely replied, "Ok."

​The next day in the office, I gave her a pair of earrings as a parting gift, just to end things on a graceful note. I told her I had no hard feelings and apologized if I ever hurt her. Her ego flared up again, and she replied, "I wasn't serious anyway."

​The absolute kicker? The very next day, a good female friend of mine sent me a photo of her, completely clinging to another guy, I was doing wfh that day.

​Even now, if she sees me in the office, she still tries to tell me to come back and take the shared cab with her.

​I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Would like a female perspective, this was the closest relationship I had ever have and now after all of this I am feeling like a looser who can't have a girl.