When i met you.....
Content
“May I have your attention please Train no.111998 from Varanasi to Kanpur will leave in 10 minutes from platform no.4. Passengers are requested to be there on time”. I listened to announcement and looked on my wrist watch it was 11:40 pm and train was about to leave in 10 minutes. I was in hurry because this was the last train and I had to catch it otherwise I will get late for the next morning meeting at the Hewlett. Again the announcer announced “May I have your attention please Train no.111998 from Varanasi to Kanpur is about to leave from platform no.4” I ran as fast as I can and reached the platform on time. I searched for my bogie A-5 and saw my name “Rohit Bhardwaj, M-25” on reservation chart. I stepped up to the bogie and I got surprised no one was in the compartment. Usually you will not find any compartment empty especially this month because this is the month of festivals and people uses most economical means of transport “train” to reach their lovely relatives. I was happy because in my compartment there was no one to disturbed me like; those snoring men, talkative people. And I could sleep without any disturbance for next six hours. I sat on my seat it was a window seat. I looked outside from window and suddenly I heard some sounds coming from my compartment it was like someone was struggling with his heavy luggage. I saw a woman tried to drag her luggage because one of her luggage wheel was broken. I could hardly saw her face from my seat so I just rotated my neck in some funny positions and saw her face. My jaw dropped down not because of her beauty but because she was the girl with whom I was in love since my school days. So, what a coincident happened, the girl with whom I was in love and the girl that never understood my feelings was with me in an empty compartment where there was no one except her and me. My dear reader if you won’t mind this I want to press pause button on this scene for a moment because I want to take you in a flashback of those days where this girl was heart beats of mine. *FLASHBACK IN* This girl is ‘Arti’ in India this name means Worship or Hymns sang in praise of god, a devotional and cute name for famine. Arti was from Brahmin family and she was vegetarian. But in just opposite she got a boyfriend that was totally non-vegetarian. For her family members it was like two people from different world that was the reason her family members were not agreed with Arti for marriage with him. Yea, I know you are thinking where is my love story? Well I was the person who made agreed Arti family for their marriage. Yes, I had sacrificed my love for Arti’s love. In her eyes we were just friends and she never understood my love. Girls always use this weapon against you when they don’t want to have relationship with you WE ARE JUST FRIENDS….!! Well, Arti’s marriage was done successfully and after our mission accomplished I left ‘Varanasi’ next day without saying even a “GOOD BYE” to Arti because I had not enough power to face her. She became someone else’s heart beats. After that I made myself busy in office and meetings. I never dreamed that I will meet her in an empty compartment of train. Ok let’s resume our scene where we were. *FLASHBACK OUT* She turned back and I tried to hide my face under magazine. She was holding train ticket and was searching for the seat. She came nearby me and asked “Is that coach A-5?” “Huh… yea it is” I said and removed magazine. “OMG! Rohit? Is it you?” She exclaimed like she saw a ghost of mine. “Yes, unfortunately it’s me” I said in less friendly voice. “I can’t believe. My seat is just in front of you.” she said. “I see” I put magazine over the desk. She looked at my face with her brown big eyes which was becoming bigger and bigger with every second. “Is it a dream?” She pinched me. “Ouch..!! Its pain” I shouted. “HAHAHAHAH It is not dream. You are real.” She laughed.
“Oh stop behaving like this it’s me. I am not a dream!!! it’s me Rohit” “HAHAHAHA OK! Don’t angry” she laughed again and sat on seat in front of me. After few minutes when she got settled on her seat she said “What a coincident Rohit. Last time I saw you in my wedding. You were just disappeared without even saying a “GOOD BYE”. I searched for you everywhere in house but I didn’t found you”. “Oh yea! Actually I was in hurry. Someone offered me a job at Hewlett and I just packed my suitcase and from the next train I ran for Kanpur. Your marriage was almost done so nothing was there for me to do. So, I just took my track for Kanpur” I said and took out an apple from my bag. “But you were very important guest for me and my husband family.” She said. “Oh yes!! Your husband!!! How is he? Still doing his job as a software engineer in New York?” I took out knife and cut the apple considering his husband head. It felt so good. “Do you want this ‘Apple’? It’s very sweet and tasty.” I offered her. “No thanks!”She rejected. “Apple is your favorite fruit. Isn’t it? I can see your taste buds got changed over year.” I ate piece of apple. “Yea, It was…. but now I don’t like Apple.” She said. “But, where is answer of my question… How is your husband?” “He is no more” she said. “What? Do you mean? he is dead?”I was shocked and my mouth was opened. “Ahh !! NO!. He is alive but he is not my husband anymore. I gave him divorced” she said. “Oh I see.. But…. why? He gave you divorce or you?” I asked “We both!! We both were not happy with our relationship” she said. “Ok!! But… why?? What happened between you two?” I tried to ask but she rejected to answer she said “I don’t want to talk about him”. “OK!! So why you are going to Kanpur?” I asked. “Actually, I work for a Cosmetics company and they are shifting their branch this year to Kanpur. So I am going in a new office and what about you? Why you are going to Kanpur?” she asked “Well, me too going Kanpur because of my work. I have my meeting at Hewlett next morning.” I said. “What do you work there?” she asked “I am manager there” I said. “But how you can work as a manager? Because as, I know you were interested in writing stories. You want to be a writer? Aren’t you?” she asked “Actually, everything not happened according to your wish like; I loved you but for you we were just friends” my tongue!! That time I really didn’t wanted to say something like that. “I am sorry” I apologized for my mistake but she said “It’s okay”. For few minutes we were silent. No one uttered even a single word and the electric bulb was also a moody one. It was flickered for about 2 to 3 minutes and got fused. Thank God the next electric bulb was working so there was no darkness in the compartment. I dared to spoke first “Indian railway. Always this happens. Have you read that story ‘Agala station’ (Next station) by Keshava Chandra Verma? It’s also written by him on Indian railway that how in India people of sleeper class faces problems like not working of fan in hot summers. We are lucky. We are in first class and we face only this fused electric bulb HAHAHAHA!!” I laughed. She saw towards me and I felt like she said “STOP LAUGHING otherwise I WILL KILL YOU”. I stopped laughing and after few seconds she spoke; “Yea, I know. It was your favorite story.” She said. She still remembered my likes and dislikes. It means she still loves me. “By the way, what is the time by your watch?” she asked. I looked my watch it was 1:00 AM. “The time is 1:00 AM” I said. “Oh it’s time for sleep. GOOD NIGHT” she said. “Yea, GOOD NIGHT!” I said.
But I couldn’t sleep so I acted like I was sleeping. I looked my watch it was 1:20 AM we had spend our 20 minutes in acting like we were sleeping. I knew that she wasn’t sleeping too but how can someone dare to ask from a woman when she doesn’t want to tell you something about her personal life. “He was not a good husband Rohit” I heard Arti’s voice. “What?” I said. “Yea he wasn’t a very good husband. He had an affair with a girl who worked with him in office. That’s why we got divorced.” She said in a very low voice. I knew that he wasn’t a perfect boy for Arti but Arti loved him so much that’s why I never said anything wrong about him. Because everyone knows a woman can hear everything but can’t hear anything wrong about her husband. So, I choose to hear her silently. “He was a jerk and I was the fool who considered him as my charming prince.” She continued. “But how do you know he had relationship with another woman?” I asked. “Actually, it was his birthday and in the morning he gone for a shower. Someone named ‘Isabella’ called on his cell phone. I thought it was a call from his office so I took up the call and the girl on another side said ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE SOMETHIG SPECIAL FOR YOU TODAY’S NIGHT. COME HOME SOON BABY’. When I asked the girl who was she. She cut the phone. I also asked to him but he said ‘Maybe my friend was joking with you’. But I knew it was not a joke.” She said and burst into tears. I gave her a tissue paper and a bottle of water. “Thanks” she said. “But how did you confirmed that the girl was on the phone was surely his girlfriend?” I asked. “He told me on phone that he will get late because he had some important work in office. But I knew that he was lying with me. I decided to wait for him outside the office. I prayed thousands of times to god that ‘Oh god! Please prove me wrong and him right’ but I knew in my heart that he was wrong and I was right. I was waiting outside in my car. On his usual time he came out from his office. I was totally broken when I saw him outside the office. I followed his car. After half an hour he stopped his car outside an apartment. A girl opened the door. She kissed him and they went inside the house. After waiting few minutes outside I decided to go inside the house. I stepped down from my car and I was on the door of that apartment. The lock of that apartment was very old and after struggling with the lock I opened it.” I interrupted her in the middle; “Hold on a second. You were spying? I know you since my childhood days but never saw spy in you.”I said. “So, what? I can do anything” she said “Ok… than what happened next?”I asked “When I opened the door both were inside and the girl was in his arms and both were talking something. Then I came home and packed my suitcase and went to my mom and after few days I sent him divorce papers” she said and started to cry. “It’s ok Arti he wasn’t perfect boy for you. And the good thing you escaped from being cheated for whole life by him” I said. “What about you? Do you have any girlfriend?” she asked and smiled. “HAHAHAHA No, I loved you only” I said. “I know” she smiled and she hugged me and the moody electric bulb in the compartment was flickered again it was just like he winked towards me. “Good night” she said. “Good night Arti” I said. I saw her luggage wheel it was jam because it was tighten too much. I moved wheel with some efforts and it configured properly. Now it was working. Next, morning we reached Kanpur railway station. Arti took out her luggage and said “Wow its wheel is working now.” “Yea, actually last night I repaired it when you were slept.” I said. “Oh so sweet of you” she said. “Now, we have to go on two different paths” I said
“Give me your phone” Arti asked and I gave her my phone. “Yes, just for few times our path are different. I know soon our path will cross again. And on that path you will find me with my luggage broken wheel and need always you to fix it.” She said and gave me mobile. “HAHAHAHA Yes! I will be there for you” I said and she kissed me. It was first time when Arti has kissed me and yea of course it was my First kiss. I said “I love you Arti” “I love you too” she said and winked and I saw phone directory had name ‘Arti’ with her phone number.
“Oh stop behaving like this it’s me. I am not a dream!!! it’s me Rohit” “HAHAHAHA OK! Don’t angry” she laughed again and sat on seat in front of me. After few minutes when she got settled on her seat she said “What a coincident Rohit. Last time I saw you in my wedding. You were just disappeared without even saying a “GOOD BYE”. I searched for you everywhere in house but I didn’t found you”. “Oh yea! Actually I was in hurry. Someone offered me a job at Hewlett and I just packed my suitcase and from the next train I ran for Kanpur. Your marriage was almost done so nothing was there for me to do. So, I just took my track for Kanpur” I said and took out an apple from my bag. “But you were very important guest for me and my husband family.” She said. “Oh yes!! Your husband!!! How is he? Still doing his job as a software engineer in New York?” I took out knife and cut the apple considering his husband head. It felt so good. “Do you want this ‘Apple’? It’s very sweet and tasty.” I offered her. “No thanks!”She rejected. “Apple is your favorite fruit. Isn’t it? I can see your taste buds got changed over year.” I ate piece of apple. “Yea, It was…. but now I don’t like Apple.” She said. “But, where is answer of my question… How is your husband?” “He is no more” she said. “What? Do you mean? he is dead?”I was shocked and my mouth was opened. “Ahh !! NO!. He is alive but he is not my husband anymore. I gave him divorced” she said. “Oh I see.. But…. why? He gave you divorce or you?” I asked “We both!! We both were not happy with our relationship” she said. “Ok!! But… why?? What happened between you two?” I tried to ask but she rejected to answer she said “I don’t want to talk about him”. “OK!! So why you are going to Kanpur?” I asked. “Actually, I work for a Cosmetics company and they are shifting their branch this year to Kanpur. So I am going in a new office and what about you? Why you are going to Kanpur?” she asked “Well, me too going Kanpur because of my work. I have my meeting at Hewlett next morning.” I said. “What do you work there?” she asked “I am manager there” I said. “But how you can work as a manager? Because as, I know you were interested in writing stories. You want to be a writer? Aren’t you?” she asked “Actually, everything not happened according to your wish like; I loved you but for you we were just friends” my tongue!! That time I really didn’t wanted to say something like that. “I am sorry” I apologized for my mistake but she said “It’s okay”. For few minutes we were silent. No one uttered even a single word and the electric bulb was also a moody one. It was flickered for about 2 to 3 minutes and got fused. Thank God the next electric bulb was working so there was no darkness in the compartment. I dared to spoke first “Indian railway. Always this happens. Have you read that story ‘Agala station’ (Next station) by Keshava Chandra Verma? It’s also written by him on Indian railway that how in India people of sleeper class faces problems like not working of fan in hot summers. We are lucky. We are in first class and we face only this fused electric bulb HAHAHAHA!!” I laughed. She saw towards me and I felt like she said “STOP LAUGHING otherwise I WILL KILL YOU”. I stopped laughing and after few seconds she spoke; “Yea, I know. It was your favorite story.” She said. She still remembered my likes and dislikes. It means she still loves me. “By the way, what is the time by your watch?” she asked. I looked my watch it was 1:00 AM. “The time is 1:00 AM” I said. “Oh it’s time for sleep. GOOD NIGHT” she said. “Yea, GOOD NIGHT!” I said.
But I couldn’t sleep so I acted like I was sleeping. I looked my watch it was 1:20 AM we had spend our 20 minutes in acting like we were sleeping. I knew that she wasn’t sleeping too but how can someone dare to ask from a woman when she doesn’t want to tell you something about her personal life. “He was not a good husband Rohit” I heard Arti’s voice. “What?” I said. “Yea he wasn’t a very good husband. He had an affair with a girl who worked with him in office. That’s why we got divorced.” She said in a very low voice. I knew that he wasn’t a perfect boy for Arti but Arti loved him so much that’s why I never said anything wrong about him. Because everyone knows a woman can hear everything but can’t hear anything wrong about her husband. So, I choose to hear her silently. “He was a jerk and I was the fool who considered him as my charming prince.” She continued. “But how do you know he had relationship with another woman?” I asked. “Actually, it was his birthday and in the morning he gone for a shower. Someone named ‘Isabella’ called on his cell phone. I thought it was a call from his office so I took up the call and the girl on another side said ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE SOMETHIG SPECIAL FOR YOU TODAY’S NIGHT. COME HOME SOON BABY’. When I asked the girl who was she. She cut the phone. I also asked to him but he said ‘Maybe my friend was joking with you’. But I knew it was not a joke.” She said and burst into tears. I gave her a tissue paper and a bottle of water. “Thanks” she said. “But how did you confirmed that the girl was on the phone was surely his girlfriend?” I asked. “He told me on phone that he will get late because he had some important work in office. But I knew that he was lying with me. I decided to wait for him outside the office. I prayed thousands of times to god that ‘Oh god! Please prove me wrong and him right’ but I knew in my heart that he was wrong and I was right. I was waiting outside in my car. On his usual time he came out from his office. I was totally broken when I saw him outside the office. I followed his car. After half an hour he stopped his car outside an apartment. A girl opened the door. She kissed him and they went inside the house. After waiting few minutes outside I decided to go inside the house. I stepped down from my car and I was on the door of that apartment. The lock of that apartment was very old and after struggling with the lock I opened it.” I interrupted her in the middle; “Hold on a second. You were spying? I know you since my childhood days but never saw spy in you.”I said. “So, what? I can do anything” she said “Ok… than what happened next?”I asked “When I opened the door both were inside and the girl was in his arms and both were talking something. Then I came home and packed my suitcase and went to my mom and after few days I sent him divorce papers” she said and started to cry. “It’s ok Arti he wasn’t perfect boy for you. And the good thing you escaped from being cheated for whole life by him” I said. “What about you? Do you have any girlfriend?” she asked and smiled. “HAHAHAHA No, I loved you only” I said. “I know” she smiled and she hugged me and the moody electric bulb in the compartment was flickered again it was just like he winked towards me. “Good night” she said. “Good night Arti” I said. I saw her luggage wheel it was jam because it was tighten too much. I moved wheel with some efforts and it configured properly. Now it was working. Next, morning we reached Kanpur railway station. Arti took out her luggage and said “Wow its wheel is working now.” “Yea, actually last night I repaired it when you were slept.” I said. “Oh so sweet of you” she said. “Now, we have to go on two different paths” I said
“Give me your phone” Arti asked and I gave her my phone. “Yes, just for few times our path are different. I know soon our path will cross again. And on that path you will find me with my luggage broken wheel and need always you to fix it.” She said and gave me mobile. “HAHAHAHA Yes! I will be there for you” I said and she kissed me. It was first time when Arti has kissed me and yea of course it was my First kiss. I said “I love you Arti” “I love you too” she said and winked and I saw phone directory had name ‘Arti’ with her phone number.
