那晚從昌迪加爾回到西姆拉，比預計的抵達時間還要晚一個半小時，到達巴士總站時已經晚上十點半。
最後一班往Sanjauli的公車早在一個半小時前就離開了，我想不到其他辦法，只好忍著牙從錢包拿起我的最後一張100盧比準備去門口攔計程車。但是在下樓前還是不死心，隨口問了身邊的印度大哥，確認是不是真的完全沒有希望可以搭公車回家。
「我要到Sanjauli。」
「你可以搭XXX Rampur bus去。」我沒聽得懂。
大哥拿起背包站了起來，「我剛好要回Sanjauli，跟我來。」他把我拎到了另一輛前往Rampur的夜巴，我才知道印度總是這麼亂來，管你有沒有訂車票，只要你這台車有經過我要去的地方，就可以光明正大地上車。大哥英文很好，我和他在冷風中有一搭沒一搭的聊著天，他問我從哪裡來，在這裡做什麼，我說我從台灣來，在NGO工作。
「哦！」他問我喜不喜歡印度，台灣人喜不喜歡印度，我說比想像中好太多了，人們善良，食物好吃，只是台灣因為播報太多你們國家負面的新聞。我停頓了一下，然後說出「比如強姦」這四個字，大哥聽完大喊「Bullshit」後，有點不好意思的說真是丟臉。
然後大概過了三分鐘，他又重新問了我一模一樣的問題。又開始問我從哪裡來，在這裡做什麼。那時候公車終於來了，我開始有點害怕，我不知道這位大哥到底有沒有聽懂我說的話，我不知道他心裡在想什麼。
結果夜巴司機在一個沒有路燈的交界路口放我們下車，而這個地方並不是我一直以來熟悉的公車站牌，我全身開始起雞皮疙瘩，那時候已經是晚上十一點半，幸好隨我們下車的還有個拎著大包小包的另一位乘客，大哥依然問我一些問題，又開始圍繞著我在NGO的工作，我完全心不在焉，緊緊跟在那位乘客身後不放，腳步越走越快，心裡只想著快點回家。
「我只是一個印度的平民，過著平凡的生活，做很小的事，而你一個女生，一個人來到我的國家，做這些事情，比我現在做的事偉大太多了。 」他語重心長地說。
「我喜歡你來印度的勇氣。」
「謝謝你來到我的國家，謝謝你為我們國家做的這些。」
後來我們在轉角道別，我卻懊惱地站在那看著他的背影離開。那個當下我好恨自己，我以為我早已對印度沒了偏見，卻又在危機時刻從心底悄悄浮現出來，我恨自己什麼時候才能學會放下對印度的偏見，去擁抱那些真正願意在你有難時幫助你的人。
謝謝你大哥，你才是我要感謝的人，旅行的時候可以有危機意識，但能不能有一天走在旅途的路上，我們能拋下那些所謂偏見？
That night when I came back to Shimla form Chandigarh, it was already 10:30PM, 1.5hrs late than it was predicted. The last bus to Sanjauli has already left 1.5 hrs ago, I didn’t have any other ideas, so I took the last 100Rs bill from my wallet as my last chance, ready to go downstairs to take the taxi back to my home, but I was still unwilling to give up, so I randomly asked a guy who sit next to me, whether it really had no any other chance to go back by bus.
” Excuse me, do there have any bus go to Sanjauli now? ” I asked. “Yes, you can take XXX bus to Rampur now.” He answered me, but I didn’t really get it.
He lift his bag up and looked at me, ” I’m going to Sanjauli right now as well, come with me.” He said. He took me to the bus which is going to Rampur, I just realized there is no rules exist in India, you could just get on any bus even if you didn’t buy any ticket before. I was chatting with this guy, his English was quite well, he asked me where I came from, and what did I do here. “ I come from Taiwan, and work in an NGO here.” I replied.
“ Alright.” Then he asked me whether I like India or not, and what do Taiwanese people think about India, “Everything is much better here than I was thinking before, people are nice, and the food as well, but in Taiwan, there are some negative news about India…” I paused a while, and shyly continue saying “ for example, the news about sexual assault…” “Bull shit !” He said he felt so sorry about this thing, with his blush face.
But than after 3 mins, he started to ask me the SAME question, asking me where , I came from and what did I do here, at the same time the bus finally came, I quickly got on the bus, and started to feel scary, that time I wasn’t sure whether the guy understood what I was talking about or not.
And worse of all, this bus finally stopped at the bus stop which without any street light here, it was so dark, and the place wasn’t the one I was familiar before. Fortunately, there was the other passenger got off the bus as well, with his large luggage, I chose to follow the guy closer while this guy still asked me some question about my job, I didn’t really concentrate in what he was asking anymore, I felt scared, the bad images started to show up in my mind, the only thing I expected was go back to my home as soon as possible.
“ I am a normal citizen of India, living in a very normal life, doing the small things here, and you are the girl who is so brave to some to my country alone, doing the things which is much bigger than what I’m doing now.” He talked to me. “ I love the courage of your coming to India, thank you for coming to my country.”
After saying goodbye, I was standing at the same place, watching his back leaving me, further and further. At that moment I can’t do anything but hate myself, I wonder when I will totally throw away all the bias about India and start to embrace the people who is willing to help me when I fall into difficulty.
Thank you uncle, you are just the one I need to be thankful for. No matter which gender you are, everyone should have conscious of being safe wherever we go, but it doesn’t mean we have to keep having an unnecessary bias of a country.
Story @ Shimla 2016.11.21
