Ahoy is a nautical exclamation to draw attention to something from a distance. Sharing a recent incident when as a retired Naval officer, I actually used it in Malibu to get a sigh of big relief after an Anxiety Attack.
A few or more months back me and my better half were the only adults at home with two 2 yr old grandchildren and a young help for kids. There was a clarion call from the RWA office to collect water meters and pay arrears of the water bill based on plot area slab rates. As per our plan, I was to drop the kids and their maid in a nearby park, pay bills and fetch the kids back on return from the RWA office. It took me a bit longer there. Then I learnt that the Sarkari officials were not collecting cheques nor did they have debit card reading machines. So I had to return home for collecting cash. The entire activity took a long and on completion, in a state of hurry, I came to Central Park to pick up the kids. To my horror, neither the maid nor the kids were there.
The ladies in the park shared my worry as I was searching around every corner. I informed my wife over the phone and she too came driving down to Central Park. Phone calls like — Papa what have you done? — from my daughter and daughter-in-law– made me feel terribly Guilty. Amidst all this hustle – bustle I called up the QRT, loudly in Fauji style.
The team started searching for the missing kids on mobike. And, in just 10 minutes flat, the QRT contacted me to say that two kids are in D-Park on Cedar Drive with their maid.
I then realized that in a rushed state of mind, I was trying to locate kids in Central Park which is their usual place to play on swings in the evening. I had completely forgotten that I had dropped them in D-Park, located about a furlong earlier, just to save driving time to reach the water meter camp at RWA premises towards the end of Park Drive.
Thanks to our responsive Quick Reaction Team, the kids were located rather quickly giving me and my wife a sigh of big relief! The transient Guilt in my mind also evaporated at once.
by Commodore Jasbir Singh (6 Ashwood, 98180 55245)
Such a lovely read… Malibu QRT team is well eqipped.