I had been to Vashi yesterday for a client meeting. On my way back I decided to try my luck with BEST. I should have known better. 15 minutes' of wait and the bus that I needed wasn't in sight. People all around me were getting into shared cabs. But somehow I have never managed to grasp this concept of sharing a cab with total strangers.

There was a cab waiting nearby and I saw a woman and her teenaged son talk with the cabbie. But they didn't get in. I was getting late so I decided to check if the cabbie would drop me. Yes, in India, at least in Mumbai, we do have to ask the cabbie if he will be so kind as to drop us to our destination. Since the distance was quite large, the cabbie happily nodded.

Just as I was about to get in, the woman asked me where I was going. Actually I didn't mean to be rude. But somehow I heard myself saying "I am not sharing". What I had meant to say was "I cannot share". I cursed myself as I settled in and the cab drove on.

I have resolved that the next time I find myself in similar situation I will smile and say that I cannot share because I need to pick some people up. The last thing this city needs is more people speaking rudely like me! :-(