An enchanting twilight announces the end of the arduous office day and the commencement of the engaging weekend in Chennai for these new recruits. They had barely any introductions when they became acquainted some weeks earlier within the corporate premises. But they say, make new friends as every new friend is a new adventure…the start of a new journey. In the city of strangers, they found their little family and as time went on, their aliases—On Call, Cutie, Who, Oppa, Shorty, and Stock—became their names. They frequently hang out together on days off and enjoy their evenings at their regular spot, “CSB,” chatting, being facetious, and occasionally making fun of one another.

However, that weekend was exceptional. Shorty was celebrating her birthday. To make it memorable, the posse agreed to kick off the party in a nightclub. Following a prolonged discussion, they agreed to meet at precisely 8 PM. With that, they split off and immediately went to their respective PGs.

Hours passed and the majority was on the street waiting for the one and only birthday girl. All of them were jubilant and applauding, and their delight filled the street. The madam ultimately showed up several hours later wearing an exquisite evening rose dress, a messy bun of her silky ash brown hair, smokey eyes, plum lipstick, and sensual red high heels. She looked glamorous and elegant. Nevertheless, her late appearance cost us our ride. With a little chit-chat,  the pack boarded the last bus to their supposed destination. But the universe had other plans in store.

At roughly 10:30, they get off the bus as it was the last stoppage. Nobody knew where they were in the city of the foreign tongue until they started checking their phones for the location. Silence gradually descended upon them as the mood on the dimly illuminated road grew sombre. unsure of what was coming.  They took deep breaths to calm racing hearts, then made the decision to go about and seek another ride.