Sunday, April 7, 2013

Love - Found and Lost

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 38; the thirty-eighth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "The Woman on Platform Number 10"
It was 4.30 pm in Sameer’s watch which someone gifted him when he was in college. He entered the New Delhi Railway Station carrying his baggage. He was traveling to Bangalore to join his new job where he is offered package in seven magical figures which everyone always dreams of, but still he was not very happy. Maybe he didn't want to leave this city as he had some special moments here with someone special and he does not want to leave those memories behind.

He walked to one of the inquiry counters to check on which platform his train is going to arrive. The station was as usually full of people, everyone was going here and there, everyone for was pushing others. Sameer never liked crowded places and he avoids going in buses and trains but for some reason, he had to travel from the train and bear all this. He inquired there about his train’s platform number and if it is on time or not. The man at the counter said, “it will arrive on platform number 8 and it is accurately on time that is 5 pm”. He got some relief that at least it is not late like usual scenarios of Indian Railways.

Then he started to walk towards the platform rolling his huge suitcase. He entered the platform number 1, reached the footover bridge grabbed his suitcase and started climbing the stairs. Just then a woman unintentionally brushed his shoulder and he was almost about to slip away but he managed to hold the grill. He was about to shout at that person, but she didn’t even bothered to stop and say sorry but walked away hastily.

He saw her from behind she was wearing black salwar-kameez and a black colored jacket and her dupatta was covering her head. But her long golden brown hairs which were gathered in a long pony could be seen, which made him remember someone from his college days – his love, his only girlfriend ever, whom he wanted to marry and she also wanted to marry him. They were madly in love with each other. 

He was surprised thinking about her seeing this girl. He started to follow her walking briskly, almost running with his huge suitcase. Until now he was not even sure whether she is her or not but somewhere deep down in his heart he was feeling she is her only. He was pushing everyone who came in the way so that he did not lose her in the crowd like he lost her 2-3 years before. He realized that she was going towards some different platform and his train was going to arrive in a few minutes. But he did not care about his train and going to Mumbai or his job because he wanted to see her, he wanted his love and life back.

He was looking her from behind and by the way of walking, he was almost sure that she is his love only. He called her name, but she did not hear, then he shouted again more loudly than before and now she heard it. She thought that she knew this voice and she stopped. She stopped there and turned looking around who was calling her.

And she saw him, her love of life who has grown into a man now who was very slim and sleek in college days now is looking muscular and strong but with same innocence on his face. She kept looking at him he was walking towards her and she almost forgot where she was going.

She was wearing a scarf on her face and he could see her eyes only, but still he recognized her. He had spent hours and days looking into those eyes then how he cannot recognize those eyes. He stopped there for a few seconds they were 100 meters away from each other, and they kept looking into each other’s eyes.

He started to walk towards her, she was still standing there and looking at him surprisingly, but she was also happy to see him. In a few seconds he was near her they were only a few centimeters apart now. The whole world has stopped there and then for them; the hustle bustle of the station did not matter to them. The announcement was being made for the arrival of the train going towards Mumbai in few minutes on platform number 8. Sameer did not hear it, he was still standing there staring in those eyes. Like his eyes were asking her’s “where the hell was you all these years? Do you know how much I searched for you? I still love you just like I used too.”

They were still silent then he spoke first “why did you do this to me? You know what I have been to all these years?” He kept asking her questions and she was standing silently in front of him listening to him talking after so many years. Her eyes have become more beautiful and deep now, but they have lost something very important, they did not have the same shine of joy and happiness. They were looking sad like they have been through a lot of pain. Even after so many years, he understood just by looking into her eyes that something wrong had happened with her. He asked her very firmly “What had happened? why are you looking so upset? Where were you all these years? Tell me?”

They were standing in the middle of the platform everyone was in a hurry, someone pushed her and her scarf fell down and he saw that her face had a big scar. He remembered how much beautiful she was during their graduation days, how much he used to adore her and her beauty.

And now seeing this scar on her face he was feeling hurt, he felt her pain. He asked caressing her face “what happened to your face?” She did not say anything. But his touch of touching her scar brought back her in present from the good old days and cutting him in the middle she said: “I am in hurry now I need to go someone is waiting for me.”

Sameer was about to say something, but she turned and started walking. He felt hurt and angry just like years before when she went away somewhere without telling anything to anyone. He started running behind her and tried to stop her, but she didn't stop. He was running so hastily that his leg slipped away and he fell down, he lost her in the crowd. He tried a lot to find her everywhere on the station, but he was unable to find her.

He started crying like a child on the station everyone was staring at him, but he did not care about anyone. He was feeling hurt and betrayed once again. It was almost like a dream for him that she came once again in her life after years when he was almost recovered from the trauma of losing her but once again he lost her without even finding her. It was 5.30 now his train has also left he started going outside the station and he did not remember to take the luggage with him which he has left somewhere while looking for her on the station.

All the while she was looking at him crying continuously from behind the washroom. She was also feeling bad for him and she wanted to go there to him but she could not. She saw him going and made sure that he went outside the station. She was feeling relieved that she got to meet for the last time. It was 5.45 pm now and the platform was even more crowded now. She came on the platform and sat on a bench.
Next Day

Sameer’s friend was watching television and he was sitting in the adjacent room still thinking about her, he was unaware of what has happened last evening at the station because he still could not believe that he lost her again he was in his own world of memories.

But then he heard the news that “yesterday a woman on platform number 10 of New Delhi Railway Station has been recognized as the suspect who blasted the bomb in the station which has caused hundreds of people injured and many dead and the number is still increasing. Her bag has been recovered from inside the ladies washroom in which contains a ladies wrist watch, and few other things related to explosives. Police confirmed that the bomber was a girl who was wearing a jacket with a bomb.”

The news channel showed the picture of wrist watch of the bomber which Sameer recognized as hers, he had gifted that watch to her in college. He was in complete shock now tears were rolling from his eyes. He could not understand what had happened and how it had happened. He could not believe that her love could be a terrorist, a bomber. He didn't believe the news channel, but he realized that he had lost her now, he will never meet her again. He was trying to understand what her eyes were saying yesterday. He thought that all this might be true but it is half truth and “truth is stranger than fiction”, he should not assume anything about her like this, he knew her better than anyone and she cannot do this.

PS: This is my first short story ever. Kindly, leave your remarks in comments to let me know how it is. :)


PPS: This is also my first entry for Blog-a-Ton. Yes, finally I made it :) I have been following Blog-a-Ton from many months but every time for some reason or other I was not able to post the entry on time and sometimes, my mind didn't give me any idea to write on the topic. That is why I don't even remember who introduced me to it because it been many months I came to know about it. :D
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: Sorry, I do not remember, Participation Count: 01