Mumbai Train Blast and the Car Seat Conundrum

I recently read something about the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. It took me to a few sweet and sour memories on my not so short stint in Mumbai. One of them, in fact, intertwined with the Mumbai blasts is still fresh in mind. We were four friends taking a taxi from the Lower Parel office to respective homes. The traffic then was probably worse than now. I was sitting by the left window at the back with S* sitting in the middle. S* has been dilly-dallying on taking a train instead of going through the traffic turmoil. When we reached Mahim, he made up his mind to get off. And for some reason, I, generally an accommodative soul, declined, half-jokingly, to give way for him to get off. S* sportingly stayed on, and the traffic torture continued.

Around the same time when S* wanted to get down at Mahim and take a train, blood spewing explosions took place at the station. The next day, he reminded me of how I refused to give way, disregarding his wish to go to Mahim station.

Among the muddle of superstitions of lucklessness and self-condemnatory thoughts of being a carrier of misfortunes, the memory stands out.