A journey is often accompanied by positive & negative experiences.
It was a day of disappointments and being an optimist, I did not attach much importance to bad omens. First of all, the taxi I hired for the station rattled noisily and emitted more smoke than an ordinary vehicle does. But I had limited time at my disposal. So, I decided to travel by it. After a short distance, it started panting like an extremely tired giant and came to a sudden stop. It was the first disappointment. Somehow, I reached the station but found a long queue for the tickets. There were only a few minutes for the train to leave but there was no hope of reaching the ticket window. So I decided to travel without ticket and pay the fine during journey.
Boarding the train was itself an ordeal. I was pushed like a shuttlecock and my luggage was mercilessly trampled upon. There I found some persons were smoking. I covered my nose with my handkerchief.
As expected, the ticket checker came and I willingly told him about my inability to buy the ticket. He looked at me with strange eyes. He was not allowing me to travel but I protested and told him that if passenger was prepared to pay the fine, he should be allowed to travel. After much argument, I convinced him and heaved a sigh of relief.
When I reached my destination, I was thanking God! I was thinking that I would meet my uncle and aunt with a broad smile and their hospitality would make me forget the ordeals of the journey. To my great disappointment, I found that my uncle and aunt had gone to Shimla for a month and the house was locked. This was the greatest disappointment. I do not want to recall this disappointing journey further because it makes me extremely sad.
Vocabulary
Extremely—utmost
Ordeal—test
