I am on my way back from the city that feeds me, to the city i fed on. I stood on the station platform, i will be departing in 25 minutes. I boarded the coach and found my seat. Its the side lower berth. My favourite. I checked the reservation list and there will be no one on my top berth till the next 3-4 hours. I brought down the seats, placed my baggages and stretched my legs.
All around there were people who were struggling with there bags or quarelling with the passengers on the allignment of seat. I was chuckling to myself at my smartness. I travelled light. One bag and always the side lower berth.
Suudenly there was a shudder that rushed through the train. It had started rolling. I rolled up the curtain, plugged myself in, to my pod, took out a Jeffrey Archer and started reading.
My lids started to droop. I bookmarked the book and prepared to take a nap. And i fell asleep.
There was this beautiful dream, with sunrays filtering out from the leaves of lush green trees and playing with my eyes. There was this telephone lying on the ground which was ringing. I answered it. A beautiful voice said "Hello". I replied back 'Hello, who's this?". Again came back the voice "Hello". But this time, a hand white as marble and smooth as porcelain materialized out of the mouth piece and touched my cheeks. It was warm. I started.
My eyes opened and found itself treated with the view of a lovely, pretty girl.
I sat up, rubbed my eyes and said "i...i... am sorry. I nodded off". She replied back "No problem, I just arrived. Anyways, i will be your companion for the next few hours till my station arrives. I am your co passenger of up above" This she said with a twinkle.
I smiled and made some place for her to sit and arrange her bags. I was repulsed by her arrogance and straight forwardness. But i was also liking her simplicity and friendliness.
I was stealing glances while she was doing her place. She was wearing a navy blue kurti and a black jeans. She was shapely and had these fine traces of fat down her shoulders. And there was also this little tummy, the outline of which was starting to peek. The way she carried herself told me that she was not at all embarrased with these short comings or rather extra additions. I liked her confidence.
I was still staring at her, when i found some of my other co-passengers were also staring at me. It was strange. "Don't worry. People still think they live in the 1700s and girls and boys should not be allowed to mix freely" She was speaking to me. I turned towards her "Yeah, to hell with them" "Why did you curse them?" She said. I looked at her blankly. Spurted out "Sorry, won't happen again"
She took her corner of the seat, took out a magazine men usually ogle at. The Cosmopolitan.
I took my corner, plugged myself in and went ahead with my Jeffrey Archer.
I was stealing glances at her. Suddenly, she looked straight at me and her brows quiverred. With a smile, she put down her magazine. All this while i was staring at her.
I saw her lips moving and it was music to my ears. "Holy shit" I blurted out. I still had my headphones on. I snatched them out. "Sorry, i did not get you" I said.
"What were you looking at?"
"Nothing...."
A frowning face stood before me.
"You look horrible. I think you forgot to put your brows in place"
She had this tremendous fit of laughter after hearing this. And i laughed with her. "I like you" "What?" "I like you"
I stared at her blamkly. Was i hearing right? "Thank you, maam. I really appreciate"
"And i thought chivalry ended with the kings!!" She replied.
I made this pompous proud face and we had another bout of laughter.
We had some more chit chat for sometime.
"I am going upstairs. I need some sleep" "Sure, If the bugs bug you, give this bug a buzz...."
She gave this giggle like i was some schoolboy blabbering away. Even the rose would have felt ashamed of its colour. She waved her hands and i saw her little feet disappear amongst the bed sheet.
I settled in my corner.
"Sigh, what a girl!!"
I plugged myself in. Changed the playback to shuffle. Suprisingly, Annie' Song was playing. Smiling to myself, dozed off.
I dreamt of her.
I was in this meadow, following her around. Suddenly a waft of breeze alerted my senses. I was aware of a sweet flowery familiar scent. The scent of a woman. I knew from where it came. Smilling i opened my eyes and there she was in front of me.
"Will you marry me? Then you will have the priviledge of wakinhg me up everyday" i said sleepily. She looked offended and hurt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say something like that" "Gotcha....." she said giggling. I had a hearty laughter after that. "I am serious about my proposal" She showed her tongue and hid her face in her bag trying to find something. I ruffled my hair and watched her.
She took out a tin of cakes and offered me to have some. We both had cakes over a cup of hot coffee. Soon the stewards from pantry car came to take order for dinner. We both ordered and sat down to play chinese checkers. I always have a pocket version of this game with me.
The game went ahead. None of us made a single try to push towards victory. We just wanted this moment to go on. Laughing, poking, clapping,teasing....
Dinner arrived. We both started eating. Criticised the amount of salt and sweet, made noses and finished our ordeal with the train food.
We washed our hands. "I think we should go to bed." she said yawning. "You are always welcome to my berth" She hit me playfully.
While we were preparing ourselves for the night, we had this moment when she placed her finger on her lips and placed it gently on my cheeks. "Good night" I looked at her. I couldn't find her eyes. "Good night and Sweet dreams to you, dear" I said warmly.
We both went to sleep. The gentle memories and the rhythmic rocking put me to sleep fast.
A rustle suddenly woke me up.
She was standing beside me.
"What are you doing?"
"Not able to sleep. I miss my teddy bear!!" "Can i be with you till i fall asleep?"
This took me by surprise. "Sure". I sat up and made room for her.
She sat beside me. There was this strange lingering sadness about her. I looked at her eyes, they were splashing. I had never looked at her eyes up close before. They were shiny black. Looking at them was like staring into the black night sky.
With a trembling voice she said "I want a hug. Please"
I stretched my hands towards her and she cozied in. She was suddenly cold. Her breathing rapid.
"Can i listen to your heart beat? I like the way it thumps."
I nodded my head in approval. She put her head on my chest. I could feel her breath on me. A slight tremor in her body and occassional sobbing. I started to caress her hair gently.
"Don't worry. Whatevers bothering you, will be fine by morning. I am here now. I will not leave you alone. Ever." I said softly.
She clutched me tighter.
"Promise?"
"I promise"
Her breathing became gentler and the sobbing stopped. I looked at her. She was sleeping. She had this peacefull face with a smile playing at her lips.
I was thinking that all this time i never got to know her name or where she stayed. We spoke for so long but we never asked each others name. I made sure to ask her the next morning. What i would have done without her? I fell asleep over her head.
There was chaos all around. I opened my eyes and everybody were busy unloading their bags. I looked around and she was not there. I checked the upper berth with the same results. I asked my other passengers "Excuse me!! but have you by any chance seen this girl or where she got off in the morning? The girl who was occupying the upper berth"
They looked shocked.
I was devastated. I did not know her name. I did not know where she stayed. Yet I spent some of my most memorable moments with her. The closeness we shared, all came down on me with a sudden burst of emotions.
I controlled myself, collected my bags and got down from the train.
There was this little boy standing in front of me with his parents. I waved at him like a robot. He pointed his fingers at me "Mad Man!!!"
I was amazed at his rudeness.
"Why would you call me a MAD MAN? You don't know me!!!"
"Because you speak to yourself and do strange things"
All around there were people who were struggling with there bags or quarelling with the passengers on the allignment of seat. I was chuckling to myself at my smartness. I travelled light. One bag and always the side lower berth.
Suudenly there was a shudder that rushed through the train. It had started rolling. I rolled up the curtain, plugged myself in, to my pod, took out a Jeffrey Archer and started reading.
My lids started to droop. I bookmarked the book and prepared to take a nap. And i fell asleep.
There was this beautiful dream, with sunrays filtering out from the leaves of lush green trees and playing with my eyes. There was this telephone lying on the ground which was ringing. I answered it. A beautiful voice said "Hello". I replied back 'Hello, who's this?". Again came back the voice "Hello". But this time, a hand white as marble and smooth as porcelain materialized out of the mouth piece and touched my cheeks. It was warm. I started.
My eyes opened and found itself treated with the view of a lovely, pretty girl.
I sat up, rubbed my eyes and said "i...i... am sorry. I nodded off". She replied back "No problem, I just arrived. Anyways, i will be your companion for the next few hours till my station arrives. I am your co passenger of up above" This she said with a twinkle.
I smiled and made some place for her to sit and arrange her bags. I was repulsed by her arrogance and straight forwardness. But i was also liking her simplicity and friendliness.
I was stealing glances while she was doing her place. She was wearing a navy blue kurti and a black jeans. She was shapely and had these fine traces of fat down her shoulders. And there was also this little tummy, the outline of which was starting to peek. The way she carried herself told me that she was not at all embarrased with these short comings or rather extra additions. I liked her confidence.
I was still staring at her, when i found some of my other co-passengers were also staring at me. It was strange. "Don't worry. People still think they live in the 1700s and girls and boys should not be allowed to mix freely" She was speaking to me. I turned towards her "Yeah, to hell with them" "Why did you curse them?" She said. I looked at her blankly. Spurted out "Sorry, won't happen again"
She took her corner of the seat, took out a magazine men usually ogle at. The Cosmopolitan.
I took my corner, plugged myself in and went ahead with my Jeffrey Archer.
I was stealing glances at her. Suddenly, she looked straight at me and her brows quiverred. With a smile, she put down her magazine. All this while i was staring at her.
I saw her lips moving and it was music to my ears. "Holy shit" I blurted out. I still had my headphones on. I snatched them out. "Sorry, i did not get you" I said.
"What were you looking at?"
"Nothing...."
A frowning face stood before me.
"You look horrible. I think you forgot to put your brows in place"
She had this tremendous fit of laughter after hearing this. And i laughed with her. "I like you" "What?" "I like you"
I stared at her blamkly. Was i hearing right? "Thank you, maam. I really appreciate"
"And i thought chivalry ended with the kings!!" She replied.
I made this pompous proud face and we had another bout of laughter.
We had some more chit chat for sometime.
"I am going upstairs. I need some sleep" "Sure, If the bugs bug you, give this bug a buzz...."
She gave this giggle like i was some schoolboy blabbering away. Even the rose would have felt ashamed of its colour. She waved her hands and i saw her little feet disappear amongst the bed sheet.
I settled in my corner.
"Sigh, what a girl!!"
I plugged myself in. Changed the playback to shuffle. Suprisingly, Annie' Song was playing. Smiling to myself, dozed off.
I dreamt of her.
I was in this meadow, following her around. Suddenly a waft of breeze alerted my senses. I was aware of a sweet flowery familiar scent. The scent of a woman. I knew from where it came. Smilling i opened my eyes and there she was in front of me.
"Will you marry me? Then you will have the priviledge of wakinhg me up everyday" i said sleepily. She looked offended and hurt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say something like that" "Gotcha....." she said giggling. I had a hearty laughter after that. "I am serious about my proposal" She showed her tongue and hid her face in her bag trying to find something. I ruffled my hair and watched her.
She took out a tin of cakes and offered me to have some. We both had cakes over a cup of hot coffee. Soon the stewards from pantry car came to take order for dinner. We both ordered and sat down to play chinese checkers. I always have a pocket version of this game with me.
The game went ahead. None of us made a single try to push towards victory. We just wanted this moment to go on. Laughing, poking, clapping,teasing....
Dinner arrived. We both started eating. Criticised the amount of salt and sweet, made noses and finished our ordeal with the train food.
We washed our hands. "I think we should go to bed." she said yawning. "You are always welcome to my berth" She hit me playfully.
While we were preparing ourselves for the night, we had this moment when she placed her finger on her lips and placed it gently on my cheeks. "Good night" I looked at her. I couldn't find her eyes. "Good night and Sweet dreams to you, dear" I said warmly.
We both went to sleep. The gentle memories and the rhythmic rocking put me to sleep fast.
A rustle suddenly woke me up.
She was standing beside me.
"What are you doing?"
"Not able to sleep. I miss my teddy bear!!" "Can i be with you till i fall asleep?"
This took me by surprise. "Sure". I sat up and made room for her.
She sat beside me. There was this strange lingering sadness about her. I looked at her eyes, they were splashing. I had never looked at her eyes up close before. They were shiny black. Looking at them was like staring into the black night sky.
With a trembling voice she said "I want a hug. Please"
I stretched my hands towards her and she cozied in. She was suddenly cold. Her breathing rapid.
"Can i listen to your heart beat? I like the way it thumps."
I nodded my head in approval. She put her head on my chest. I could feel her breath on me. A slight tremor in her body and occassional sobbing. I started to caress her hair gently.
"Don't worry. Whatevers bothering you, will be fine by morning. I am here now. I will not leave you alone. Ever." I said softly.
She clutched me tighter.
"Promise?"
"I promise"
Her breathing became gentler and the sobbing stopped. I looked at her. She was sleeping. She had this peacefull face with a smile playing at her lips.
I was thinking that all this time i never got to know her name or where she stayed. We spoke for so long but we never asked each others name. I made sure to ask her the next morning. What i would have done without her? I fell asleep over her head.
There was chaos all around. I opened my eyes and everybody were busy unloading their bags. I looked around and she was not there. I checked the upper berth with the same results. I asked my other passengers "Excuse me!! but have you by any chance seen this girl or where she got off in the morning? The girl who was occupying the upper berth"
They looked shocked.
I was devastated. I did not know her name. I did not know where she stayed. Yet I spent some of my most memorable moments with her. The closeness we shared, all came down on me with a sudden burst of emotions.
I controlled myself, collected my bags and got down from the train.
There was this little boy standing in front of me with his parents. I waved at him like a robot. He pointed his fingers at me "Mad Man!!!"
I was amazed at his rudeness.
"Why would you call me a MAD MAN? You don't know me!!!"
"Because you speak to yourself and do strange things"
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