“ is someone sitti……..” I felt I heard someone saying ……
The voice damped out…….deep sleep gulped me…… why would I love to break such a heavenly Trans to answer a stupid question…….“is the seat occupied ! “……….. generally
& if it’s a man who is asking ……..particularly !!!
I dint move a bit. The hand ki that I used to cover my eyes provided a blurred visual of people searching for places to seat themselves.
I boarded the bus to the city at the start point and there were hardly 3 to 4 passengers. Although I sat by the window initially, but altered my place to the one next as the cold breeze of 6 in the morning, that was finding its way from the miniature gaps the windows left, was piercing the body like the sharp knives cutting through the soft skin, once the bus setoff.
And eventually, I was carried to the heavenly worlds of dreamland where I wandered the beautiful landmasses the waterfalls, deserts and past the oceans and …… .
“ is that seat occupied ! “ the voice commanded , I could sense.
Crap!!!
Such was the nap that an hour passed in a blink of an eye. I wondered when we traveled that 30km and reached the next major stop, which at other times is a hell lot to cover particularly on the dusty roads partially under repair most of the times.
“The seat…….” The man became restless. I could not gather why he insisted on enquiring me until I saw the baggage on the seat by the window.
The Bag ……….. My Bag , I remember placing it there.
“I guess so…….!” I finally replied.
That was the punishment I could give for disturbing ….. thrice…….
The man moved onto the next vacant seat behind me…..
“ keep walking ……….!” I felt the joy restore, which I lost when he woke me out of the nap of utmost ecstasy.
And I slid back the Handki over my eyes to prevent the ascending brightness, as the sun started to appear, from stealing off, that little drowsiness that was left behind.
And
“Is the seat occupied !!! “ …………. I heard someone utter…………..
“ Nop ………….. not at all “, I said as I moved the baggage to my lap and gave way to the person to the seat by the window, smiling all along !!!
Of course it was a lady……… fairy?......... can say so………….. fair enough though ! if not fairy!
“Not every day one happens to acquire such a lively (lovely) co- traveler”
Someone truly said………… “Every dog………….!” Ahh…..not an apt comparison I suppose.. yet
Well…… she settled and no sooner she did, I observed that little of the drowsiness escaped off the eyes.
The brain became alert. Chemical imbalance, I read it sometime back, out of extreme excitement possibly cause of high sensory activity which might involve vision as well, triggered by the proximity effects …… that’s a bit of information I suppose.
And the handki moved to my pocket,…………….voluntarily
And we set off again to cover rest of the 4 hours of journey.
………………………….
The ring tone of a mobile woke me up……
Not sure when I slipped to sleep.
“What the H….” , I held my words. After all it was her mobile.
Never mind ….. I thought.
“….office ! …. No … won’t be going today! ,” I (over)heard followed by a chuckle…..
The sweet voice sounded like a hundred violin’s playing “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine!” at the background.
God has a way with the design of the female species, I thought.
If the girl is cute, Then let the voice be sweet. – I smiled to myself at the thought, and felt proud of the discovery. Unfortunately I had no one to share it with.
There is another side of it I realized. If the girl is cute, then let the boy hear her voice as sweet, irrespective of the modulation her throat brings about – and the smile faded…..
Gaad izz great !
And I decided to start a conversation. After all, not every day you get to make a friend.. girl to be specific.
The call ended…. I made up a question in my mind “ which company you work for…. “ that sounded apt for the situation. Safe and diplomatic. All is well… I told my conscience. My heart raced. All of a sudden I could hear nothing but my heartbeat. It’s a stranger that I must start to talk. The words passed off the throat. Reached the mouth I could feel…. And
“…….. “ , I felt I spoke, but the voice never came out ,I released. And she put the mobile back to her handbag, closed her eyes to rest.
“shit ! dumba** “ , my brain prompted the heart ! or the other way round as I leaned back out to mourn on my failure.
Trust me; the words never came out of the mouth.
Half the journey was already covered I realized.
The time showed 8.30.
Another call to her mobile and my fortune favored to listen to that sweet voice.
“ will reach by 11. Not sure if I will go to the office. ..” she replied…
Fate, I assumed, gave a second change.
The call ended….. I had the question at my disposal… “ which company you work for…. “
Ya .. that’s the question … apt one…. I practiced to myself a couple of time…. So as not to sound stupid…. My heart raced as I rehearsed…. I could hear nothing but the question and the heart beat intermittently.
“ which ………. !” ,
Ah… ! she turned to face me…… for a moments glace and back she leaned and closed her eyes.
I clearly saw her this time, I was left dumbfound.
She turned out to be prettier than I assumed she was, at the first time I saw her . Drowsy I was. And the proximity of a female species does make the mind go crazy. I had little more that a glance to decide on her features then.
Little more than a glace I had, even now. But her face glowed cause of the sun rays that escaped the window on the other side, that hit her.
Did she hear me? ..
Did she not? . I pondered scolding myself all the way for being an introvert.
“nine onza nine…. nine twoza eighteen…. Nine threezaa twentyseven….”, a girl on the front seat was uttering.
And we smiled. She smiled.
“so you work for a software firm….!”
Bravo …. I asked just to find the glace to extend to a stare in amazement.
“Of course yes! “She replied. “About you?’
“hmm ... unfortunately!” I took my turn to reply and she burst into a laugh.
God indeed has a way with pretty girls.
“which company? “, I questioned.
“Wipro …… And you! … Don’t tell me you are from Wipro As well!” she said in a teasing tone.
God ……… indeed.
“ha ... no no… it’s CG!” I replied with a smile following her.
and we kept talking……bout work…..bout qualification….. bout recession….. bout nativity and nothing at times.
She amazed me in every possible way a girl is expected to. And she smiled at my silly answers. Exclaimed at the little truthful information I conveyed just to see her wondering.
Time flew with Josephine in Flying Machine….. faster the clock changed.
Why does happy time end so fast, god has a way with that too….. I had no choice.
And we neared….
She explained a route to the office, which I pretended not to be aware of …. Just to hear her speak of course.
And she did it in quite a detail that I felt like telling the truth that I knew the route….
But ….. I never said so.
Fortunately her residence was on the same route and we decided to board a city bus once we reached the city.
We found couple of seats similar to the one we traveled to the city in.
One by the window and the next one to it.
I offered her the seat by the window…… the bus was completely occupied with that last two vacant seats being captured by us. Couple of people boarding behind us and were forced to stand.
“should I ask for her number? mail id? … “was the next question that constantly hit my thoughts after every pause we took of the conversation?
And before I could push myself beyond that threshold to dare ask a contact, her destination was reached.
We shared a fairy well….
And she got off the bus leaving a vacuum in my thoughts.
The world suddenly went numb... Nothing really seemed real.
I was doubtful if I was even travelling in a city …….. or was wandering in a desert of loneliness…
“Do you believe in destiny” my conscience questioned.
If I do, then we would cross ways some time ……
“can you give way please!” …….
I was dragged to reality before I finished my conversation with my conscience.
“Sure …..!”, I lifted my face just to find ………….
And the pleasure restored, heartbeat raised, and unexplainable joyful inconvenience surrounded me as the bus took pace ………….
GAAD IZZZ GREAT !
