'These are bad times. You cannot trust anyone' we keep saying the same thing in our living rooms, our offices, trains and buses. Are we being too cautious? Too paranoid? Too afraid to call our existence 'living'? I used to wonder but then it changed yesterday evening.

I was paying off the rickshaw driver when I saw my bus pull away from the bus stop. There was no use running after it. A conductor who stops the bus upon noticing a harried commuter is an endangered species. It is safe to assume that you will never come across one. I made a half-hearted attempt at waiting for the next bus. A drizzle was all that it took for me to change my decision and make a beeline for the nearest cab.

I told the taxi driver my destination and he nodded. Just as I was getting into the cab, a girl standing nearby asked me if I was going to an area which was en-route. I obviously was. It was a split-second decision and hence something that was truly reflective of my state of mind. I thought for a moment and then blurted out that I have to pick someone up on my way. She nodded and stepped back. As I sped away I felt really bad.

I put the question to 2 of my female colleagues today. One of them did say that there was no harm in sharing ride with the girl. But when the other one shook her head saying 'we cannot trust anyone these days', the first one nodded too.

I just wonder if that girl believed what I said yesterday or did she figure out that I was afraid to trust anyone?