11:35 Ki Local - Hrishikesh J C (Author) #M...For Marriage, #TwiceALove, #TheSeventhGirl

11:35 Ki Local

I am eager to see her today; finally we are going to meet. I still remember the first time when I saw her; I was running late for my college and was in a hurry to catch my 11:35 local train from goregaon station. I prayed that I need not miss the train. My prayers were answered, I somehow caught the train.

That was when I saw her for the first time, a new girl in the city apparently struggling in the crowd of the train. I looked at her, when her eyes were wide opened, lips in a motion as of whistling, and her tendrils of hair were blew by the wind. I smiled at her, and there was nothing else I could do for her. She got off at charni road station. I kept on thinking of her when I found a white embroidered napkin fallen on the floor of the train, and people stamping on it, with a few hardships I just picked that napkin and breathed deeply and kept it in my pocket folding neatly, dusting the dirt on it.

The very next day, when I climbed the train, my eyes were searching for that very gorgeous oval shaped face and those brown eyes. Was it destiny or what I don’t know, but I saw her again, that time she was sitting. I waved at her, she squinted at me. I felt shy. And after a while with a beatific smile she replied to my wave with the same. I was at a relief. I quickly removed the cleaned and ironed napkin from my pocket and showed it to her lifting it in my hand. She looked slack-jawed, and made a gesture to hand it later as it was very hard to reach near her.

She struggled to get down on the churney road station, when I touched her for the first time in that compartment of the train, I touched her hand, her fingers and handed the napkin at the same time. She got down confused as who touched her hand, and I waved her bye, she smiled heartily hiding her teeth with her right palm. I scratched my head, and smiled.

We met daily, in the train even she climbed the same compartment in which I used to. But never got an opportunity to get closer and even know each other’s names, but we loved to smile at each other, every afternoon when she smiled back at me, her smile made my day.

One day, I was eating onion pakodas in the train and she looked at me, she was a few footsteps further from me. She asked me communicating with her hand, conveying a mocking message as ‘eating alone’. I chuckled.

The next day, she stood by door, and when I climbed the train, I was startled looking at her. She was just a footstep away from me, I could feel her breath. I began to breathe heavily, my heartbeats raised, and I could hear my heartbeats in my ears vividly. I sighed, and smiled with my heart.

She smiled back, pursing her lips and not showing her teeth.

“Hi, I am Shivani.” She said, and approached her hand for friendship towards me.

I stood slack-jawed, I wanted somebody to pinch me, was it a dream or what?

“I am vishal.” I shook hands with her, her touch was velvety.

“Which college are you in?” I added;

“I was in Rizvi College.” She said;

She was 4 years elder than me.

“You are in college?” she asked me;

I felt shy to answer.

“Yes, second year Elphinston College.” I said;

“Good, alright, bye cya take care, my station has arrived.” She said;

That was the moment when I talked with her for the first time.

We met daily, for over a month, we became good friends, but I wanted that relation to move forwards giving it a different name, many of my friends tried to make me understand that she was elder than me, but I believe, age doesn’t matter in love.

Yesterday evening while coming, back in the evening, I did wait for her on her station and continued the journey with her.

“What are you doing here?” she said confused, but she smiled very blissfully when she saw me.

“I just did wait for you” I said;

“Why so?” she asked;

“shivani, I want to say something to you.” I said;

“and... what is that?” she asked bug-eyed;

“ummm... shivani the thing is, I know you are elder than me but still I simply...” I trembled with my words;

“you simply what?” she looked at me slack jawed;

“I love you” I said in instance;

Everything was muted, just we could hear the train sound. She casted her eyes on the road aside, I began to sweat, my heart beating at its full pace and noise.

“I will give you the answer... but not here... tomorrow evening in... which restaurant you like in area you live?” she asked so lightly as if nothing had happened;

“Kobe” I said;

“alright then, I will come at sharp seven in the evening and give you the answer. I need at least one day time” she said;

“you won’t beat me bringing any rouges na?” I asked scared;

“what? Nope, do I look like that?” she squinted at me;

“indeed not.” I said;

She smiled. And rested back, we looked into each other’s eyes and just smiled. I was very eager to listen to her answer, as if I knew the answer and it was yes, I never thought negative. I was happy, in her thoughts I slept late and forgot to activate my alarm today morning.

I got up late, and I ran to the station, when the local had already taken off from the platform. I missed my local. I breathed heavily, and the pakoda vala from whom I brought pakodas called me.

“tya muline tumcha sathi dilay he patra.” He said;

“tinech ka, nehmi maja soba taste ti?” I asked to confirm;

“ha tinech.” He said;

I opened the letter, and she had wrote, she might be late, and she had written her cell phone number.

‘I guess you know the answer vishal, it’s just you want to hear it from my mouth right? Sure, I will give you my approval for our relationship in the evening with a surprise. Please don’t go if I became late, wait for me.’

I felt like jumping and dancing, because she clearly stated she was going to give the approval which meant it was a yes, I went home and got ready and checked a thousand times my look In the mirror, and just with a red rose eager t see her I came here in the restaurant. It’s been eight now and she hasn’t arrived yet.

“did you hear about the train blast?” “yeah, so terrifying it was. I heard it lately, I saw it on the news.” I heard some people muttering about some dreadfully bad news.

The steward their changed the channel to a news channel, and

‘today morning the marine lines local had been devastated with a bomb blast, Mumbai police is trying to find who are the culprits behind this, the number of people died in the blast is sadly more than hundred. Yet the police are busy collecting the bodies from the dadar station.’

The rose fell from my hand, and I was devastated completely, my heart had broken into ennumoruous pieces. Then it was going to be fine, and... She said don’t go if she was late. I am still waiting, each evening in this restaurant with a red rose in my hand, that some or the other day I will hear that appealing voice and I would see those gleaming eyes casted towards me. Till my last breath I won’t leave the hope...she had said she would arrive with a surprise, such never ever thought surprise, she  never said. ;-(                                                -Hrishikesh J Cheulkar

                                                  (Author)