The elusive password
(Long read)
Once in a while it happens to me.
I have been in a few hotels of late and this time in new city I want to get the internet and that too not on my mobile data plan. Because...Just.
The last hotel I was in did not have wifi services. But this one did and I was adamant that any late night mailing, chatting and meaningless video watching will be on the hotel wifi only.
After ordering a tea to perk me up after a very long day only to not get it delivered, I went out for my pre-parandial walk in the hotel parking lot. It also served as the gathering place for the patrons of the hotel's restaurant and a group of young women quite curiously looked at me as I went brisk walking in my slippers. There was a gym too but I wasn't that motivated. The group tittered and then laughed. One of them had cracked a joke I couldn't hear, but it wasn't difficult to get it. An old guy with a gut trying to walk it off. Why didn't I lay off the rice then ? Or maybe something stronger, possibly more biting.
Nevertheless, I finished my walk and went to the reception. The clerk looked sharp for the time of the day. Must have just started the night shift. Literally everything was tight. The hair stretched back painfully in a bun, her shirt was stretched as much as my patience is these days. Even her smile was a struggle between a grin and a purse. Must have practiced it. She had dimples. I gave the kid a break and smiled at her, and very politely asked for the wifi password.
Half expecting to be told that the password is your last name plus your room number or another such auto generated thing. But no. She stopped and looked frantically at her co-worker. Who was the brown equivalent of the dumb blonde. She shrugged a 'whatever' and returned her attention to the urgent demands of her whatsapp chat.
The clerk's initial panic was replaced by a deliberate calm. Training taking over. She didn't try and ask anyone so it meant that the seniors had gone home. After excusing herself she went into the back room and came back and purposefully lifted the lid of the scanner part of the printer. There lay a thin green envelope that lit her eyes. Her smile widened and she pulled out a chit. The chit fell on the reception desk. Under the card swipe machine. I immediately wanted her to give me another one. But restrained myself. Besides the guys were waiting for me to start dinner. I would have to go to the room, wash my face and keep stuff then come to the table in the 5 table restaurant. Rather ambitious if you ask me. It was a kitchen with a few tables attached. And two soft drink fridges dominated the room, displaying their contents brightly in this victory of commerce over aesthetics.
The restaurant is interesting. A full service was laid out. Full. Salad fork, soup spoon, butter knife what have you. I mean I looked it up while writing this so some items were missing in there but you get the point. And the glassware was exquisite. I would say wasted on almost all the people who came here. Even the cups in breakfast service were very nice. It's too bad the water poured in them was seldom hot. To come back to dinner, it was a specially prepared pre-plated thing.
A mound of rice the size of Mt. Kalsubai and two hard baked pieces of dough masquerading as rotis that could be easily be used as grinding discs. Some greenish brown veg glop and some heavily tomatoed lentil glop. But we were thankful we got something to eat and finished our meal joking about the fact that we almost never eat as many chillies as people think we like to. I had heartburn to consider. Just thinking about it gives me some. So I asked for some yoghurt. Thank God for yoghurt. Is it short for yoga hurt?
Dinner over, I came to my room. And went to pick up the wifi password slip. I had kept it with my room key and the rather large key tag. Lifted the key tag and something came off it and disappeared mid air. Loki. I knew it. The chit had already shown me it's colours at the reception desk. And I knew it. Had to do the procedure.
Carefully moved items one by one from the writing table to the bed. Shaking my diary. Nothing, moved my leather visiting card case without opening it. And my hankie, wallet and everything till the table was bare except the Bible on it. It would be a bit much even for a Norse God to hide a Muslim's password slip in the Catholics book. Plus he's not that subtle.
I couldn't just admit defeat. For him to establish his superiority over me I had to go through the logical search. So I lifted the table. Turned on my phone torch and peered behind it. Clean as a whistle. Except dust of course. Same thing under the wardrobe. And behind it. By now I was exceeding the boundaries of the flight of an unpowered unfolded piece of paper and getting irritated too. But I knew the answer. I would not find it. Now.
I remember the last time Loki took hold of my things. One pair of clothes actually. I had packed everything and come back from Delhi and at home my wife had said that a pair was missing. I mentally retraced everything that I did before leaving the house in Delhi. Had gone for a bath. Picked up clothes brought them and kept them on the suitcase. Changed and kept the clothes inside, packed, had breakfast and left. But you may be doing battle with the Norse God of Mischief but your wife will be the one you heed. Called him up in Delhi and he said if its here it's ok. i will wear it. Of course it was there, otherwise why would he say something like that. I knew about Loki even then but wasn't sure he'd take an interest in my mundane life.
But password hiding games? That's a new low. Then what do gremlins and gnomes do these days?
Or about the time my full battery phone died at the airport just before I had to show the ticket to enter. Sheepishly had to come to one side and restart it. Thank God (Him, the God! not Norse mischief monger) it started and I got through.
After a proportionate search I settled in bed and after reading a few mails, set my phone aside and went to sleep. Loki won. I didn't get to surf the hotel wifi.
Why didn't I just get another one? Because that's not how its supposed to be played. You're it and you're the seeker. He's the hider. Other people would have gone and asked for another one and got it. But that's why Loki doesn't play with them.
The next day when I arrived at my base, I wondered where I would find it. For I would find it. That's part of the game.
True enough. Neatly tucked inside the card case between 3 cards was the password slip. I hadn't bothered reading the password when she had handed it over. It was I3O7. Read it upside down. I tossed it into the bin and unpacked the rest of my things.
(Long read)
Once in a while it happens to me.
I have been in a few hotels of late and this time in new city I want to get the internet and that too not on my mobile data plan. Because...Just.
The last hotel I was in did not have wifi services. But this one did and I was adamant that any late night mailing, chatting and meaningless video watching will be on the hotel wifi only.
After ordering a tea to perk me up after a very long day only to not get it delivered, I went out for my pre-parandial walk in the hotel parking lot. It also served as the gathering place for the patrons of the hotel's restaurant and a group of young women quite curiously looked at me as I went brisk walking in my slippers. There was a gym too but I wasn't that motivated. The group tittered and then laughed. One of them had cracked a joke I couldn't hear, but it wasn't difficult to get it. An old guy with a gut trying to walk it off. Why didn't I lay off the rice then ? Or maybe something stronger, possibly more biting.
Nevertheless, I finished my walk and went to the reception. The clerk looked sharp for the time of the day. Must have just started the night shift. Literally everything was tight. The hair stretched back painfully in a bun, her shirt was stretched as much as my patience is these days. Even her smile was a struggle between a grin and a purse. Must have practiced it. She had dimples. I gave the kid a break and smiled at her, and very politely asked for the wifi password.
Half expecting to be told that the password is your last name plus your room number or another such auto generated thing. But no. She stopped and looked frantically at her co-worker. Who was the brown equivalent of the dumb blonde. She shrugged a 'whatever' and returned her attention to the urgent demands of her whatsapp chat.
The clerk's initial panic was replaced by a deliberate calm. Training taking over. She didn't try and ask anyone so it meant that the seniors had gone home. After excusing herself she went into the back room and came back and purposefully lifted the lid of the scanner part of the printer. There lay a thin green envelope that lit her eyes. Her smile widened and she pulled out a chit. The chit fell on the reception desk. Under the card swipe machine. I immediately wanted her to give me another one. But restrained myself. Besides the guys were waiting for me to start dinner. I would have to go to the room, wash my face and keep stuff then come to the table in the 5 table restaurant. Rather ambitious if you ask me. It was a kitchen with a few tables attached. And two soft drink fridges dominated the room, displaying their contents brightly in this victory of commerce over aesthetics.
The restaurant is interesting. A full service was laid out. Full. Salad fork, soup spoon, butter knife what have you. I mean I looked it up while writing this so some items were missing in there but you get the point. And the glassware was exquisite. I would say wasted on almost all the people who came here. Even the cups in breakfast service were very nice. It's too bad the water poured in them was seldom hot. To come back to dinner, it was a specially prepared pre-plated thing.
A mound of rice the size of Mt. Kalsubai and two hard baked pieces of dough masquerading as rotis that could be easily be used as grinding discs. Some greenish brown veg glop and some heavily tomatoed lentil glop. But we were thankful we got something to eat and finished our meal joking about the fact that we almost never eat as many chillies as people think we like to. I had heartburn to consider. Just thinking about it gives me some. So I asked for some yoghurt. Thank God for yoghurt. Is it short for yoga hurt?
Dinner over, I came to my room. And went to pick up the wifi password slip. I had kept it with my room key and the rather large key tag. Lifted the key tag and something came off it and disappeared mid air. Loki. I knew it. The chit had already shown me it's colours at the reception desk. And I knew it. Had to do the procedure.
Carefully moved items one by one from the writing table to the bed. Shaking my diary. Nothing, moved my leather visiting card case without opening it. And my hankie, wallet and everything till the table was bare except the Bible on it. It would be a bit much even for a Norse God to hide a Muslim's password slip in the Catholics book. Plus he's not that subtle.
I couldn't just admit defeat. For him to establish his superiority over me I had to go through the logical search. So I lifted the table. Turned on my phone torch and peered behind it. Clean as a whistle. Except dust of course. Same thing under the wardrobe. And behind it. By now I was exceeding the boundaries of the flight of an unpowered unfolded piece of paper and getting irritated too. But I knew the answer. I would not find it. Now.
I remember the last time Loki took hold of my things. One pair of clothes actually. I had packed everything and come back from Delhi and at home my wife had said that a pair was missing. I mentally retraced everything that I did before leaving the house in Delhi. Had gone for a bath. Picked up clothes brought them and kept them on the suitcase. Changed and kept the clothes inside, packed, had breakfast and left. But you may be doing battle with the Norse God of Mischief but your wife will be the one you heed. Called him up in Delhi and he said if its here it's ok. i will wear it. Of course it was there, otherwise why would he say something like that. I knew about Loki even then but wasn't sure he'd take an interest in my mundane life.
But password hiding games? That's a new low. Then what do gremlins and gnomes do these days?
Or about the time my full battery phone died at the airport just before I had to show the ticket to enter. Sheepishly had to come to one side and restart it. Thank God (Him, the God! not Norse mischief monger) it started and I got through.
After a proportionate search I settled in bed and after reading a few mails, set my phone aside and went to sleep. Loki won. I didn't get to surf the hotel wifi.
Why didn't I just get another one? Because that's not how its supposed to be played. You're it and you're the seeker. He's the hider. Other people would have gone and asked for another one and got it. But that's why Loki doesn't play with them.
The next day when I arrived at my base, I wondered where I would find it. For I would find it. That's part of the game.
True enough. Neatly tucked inside the card case between 3 cards was the password slip. I hadn't bothered reading the password when she had handed it over. It was I3O7. Read it upside down. I tossed it into the bin and unpacked the rest of my things.
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