The play of destiny

She called me in the morning and invited me for a late night party of her birthday. I wished her. She was really happy. I found her laughing and giggling on phone. It attracted me more towards her. I thought that this is the only opportunity for me to crack it, reveal it. I decided to say everything on that night.

I was thinking about her the whole day. It was a sought of accident when we first met. She was standing near the ladies compartment of the Andheri bound train at CST. She was waiting for her friend. She was standing right in the middle of the station, blocking the path. I was in a hurry since I have to reach Bandra and in any case, didn’t want to miss that train. I had my laptop in one hand and office bag in another and I hurried towards the first class compartment. Suddenly I got a call and in an effort to check it, I bumped into her and almost fell on the station. She fell in another direction. I couldn’t control my temper and shouted, ‘Are you blind? Standing in the middle of the station at this time of rush?’

She said nothing. She was in a sky blue color Salwar Kameez, had let her hair open in the air. She wasn’t very beautiful except for her eyes. I loved them instantly. She took her hand forward to help me get up. Thankfully my laptop was in a good condition, so my anger boiled down. More so, seeing her so calm and apologetic, even though it was my fault for not looking forward and walking, I melted. I realized my mistake. She had got a bruise in her right hand. I said, ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted. It was my mistake of walking hastily. I’m really sorry.’

‘It’s alright. It was my mistake also. Bye.’ Saying so, she hurried in her compartment and took her seat. I saw a tear in her eyes. She was at the window seat and not looking at me. Then I heard the sound of the train and jumped in the second class. That was our first meet. After that day, we always used to somehow meet on the station at the same time of 9.30 pm. She used to smile looking at me and used to return her smile back. Sometimes we used to chat and miss the train. Eventually we exchanged our contact numbers and got in constant touch. I enjoyed her company. Suddenly I felt that I am falling in love with her. I didn’t know what she felt about me. But she considered me as a good friend as she used to share many of her personal things with me. Even on that ‘accident’ day, she was waiting for her friend as her mother was in the hospital and she wanted her friend to accompany her.

This went on for few months. I knew that I loved her. But I decided not to convey it directly to her. Her birthday was approaching and I thought this is the time for me to say it out.

I left work early and as a typical guy in love, roamed the streets of CST to find some gift for her. Also some fresh roses. I was in jubilant mood. Finally, I was going to propose her. My heart beats were increasing. I started moving towards the railway station when I heard the sounds of firing. I couldn’t understand where the sounds were coming from. But in a few seconds, I found people rushing for their lives out of CST station. I learned that there are some terrorists inside the station. Police took the charge of the surroundings. Police vans came one after another. People were rushing here and there. I thought of her, phoned her a number of times, but she didn’t pick it. I dropped the gifts and roses there and started running towards the station. But the police didn’t let me go inside. I was screaming for her. But nobody let me go inside. I waited there for the next few hours and finally when the station was evacuated from the terrorists and the dead-bodies of the people were brought out, I recognized one of them. It was her. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My heart broke and that sight benumbed my mind. I burst out in tears. She was my first love and probably the closet friend. The destiny had played its part. I couldn’t do anything. Except keep on grieving and thinking about that beautiful time in my life I had with her.

The Window

It was a winter afternoon. Raj just got up from his bed. He wasn’t sleepy at all. His grandmother had strictly instructed him to take his afternoon nap. But Raj was in no mood to sleep. He was a 14-year-old boy then. He was for his Christmas vacation at his grandmother’s place at Shanivar Peth, Pune. All his friends had gone out for vacation just like him.

He got up and sat on his bed by folding his legs. He had an urge of doing something. Something very creative and interesting. He got up and made it sure that his grandmother is sleeping. He then came into his room and stood in front of the window. A beautiful view of the adjoining farms was visible from the window. There were mountains and farms. Almost like a landscape. He wanted to capture this beautiful view. To draw this scene on a paper. With colors and shades. With full of life in it.

While he was still staring at the view, a girl standing right below caught his attention. She was pretty much of his age. She had clubbed her hair in two pony tails with red ribbons. She wore a light blue colored dress and was constantly staring at Raj. She had dark, blue eyes. Very Lustrous. She was indeed, very beautiful.

‘Who are you?’ Raj asked her. ‘I’m Shweta. I stay here, just in your neighborhood.’ She said in a soothing tone. Raj knew that other than their apartment, there wasn’t any building close to his. He came down and asked her where exactly she stayed. She pointed to a small house, almost like a slum, built in a row ahead around the farms.

‘Oh! Do you go to school?’ He asked her. ‘Yes, I do. I am in the ninth standard’, she said. ‘Wow, even I’m in ninth standard,’ Raj exclaimed.

‘I don’t see you here often.’ She said.

‘Yes. Actually it’s my Christmas vacations. I stay at Mumbai. This is my grandmother’s place. Come in.’ He took her inside to his flat at the second floor. He gave her a glass of cold water. He also asked if she was hungry. She said that she wasn’t. She thanked him for it. Then he took her to his room and she was surprised to see the beautiful small view of nature from his window.

‘Do you like to draw?’ He asked her. She replied, ‘Yes, I do. I love to draw. Actually let me also tell you that I won a drawing competition in my school last year.’

‘Oh, that’s great! Congrats yaar. So let’s draw this view on a paper. Will you?’

‘Sure. Let’s begin. I’ll love it.’

He brought two large size blank sheets along with crayons and water-colors, pencils and brushes. And they started drawing. They were both sitting on the veranda of the window and were cheerfully sketching down the nature on the paper. They smiled, laughed and chatted together.

‘Shweta, will you be my friend?’ He asked her.

‘Yes, why not? I think we are already friends now!’

She smiled. He too. They broke in a small laughter.

The grandmother knew about Shweta. Her mother used to be the maid at her place for many years until recently when the old lady decided to change the maid because of increasing pays Shweta’s mother used to ask for.

Both the kids showed their paintings to the grandmother. They were really beautiful paintings. Shweta’s was better than Raj’s. So the grandmother gave a chocolate to Shweta to award her for this painting.

Soon after that day, Shweta used to regularly join Raj in drawing the landscapes. They enjoyed doing it. Both used to play together. Laugh and joke at each other. There grew an undefined bond between them. Raj never knew how the days of his vacations had passed by. Until it was almost the end of his vacation.

It was the day for Raj to leave for Mumbai. His mother had come to take him back. He had to leave by evening. That afternoon Raj and Shweta sat in silence. They weren’t drawing anymore.

‘I’m leaving after some time. It was really a great time here. I’m so glad to meet you.’

‘Even I’m glad.’

‘I’ll miss you, Shweta.’

‘I’ll miss you too.’

‘Do you ever come to Mumbai?’

‘No. I think we don’t have so much money to travel. And then I don’t think we have any relative out there.’

‘Hmm. Shweta, in my next vacations, we’ll again sit together and draw. I’ll bring some of my games. We’ll play a lot.’

‘Yes. It will be nice.’

‘Are you sad or something?’

‘Well, not exactly. But as I said, I’ll miss a friend like you. I have very few friends here. Anyway, soon the school will start and I’ll get busy with studies. So, time will sweep on its own.’

Meanwhile, Raj’s mom packed their bags and came in to call Raj. She asked him to get ready. The rickshaw was already there. Raj gave a kiss to his grandmother, touched her feet. He came down and searched for Shweta. She was just standing on the same spot where she was standing on the day she first met Raj. Raj came near her and gave her a kiss on her cheeks. It was an affectionate gesture. A pure bond of affection which had grown in a span of few days. She smiled and said, ‘Thanks. Bye. Good bye.’

‘Bye,’ he said and waved to her. His mother didn’t like Raj’s kissing Shweta but the grandmother told her to calm down. They were friends, she told her.

Rickshaw went away. And Shweta was still waving, staring at the fast, disappearing sight of the rickshaw. The grandmother saw her, smiled and went back inside her house.

Shweta smiled again. Touched her cheeks. Loved the manner in which Raj ended their meet. She smiled again.