The wind blew past me. Stealing away time with it. I closed my tired eyes for a moment.
“Patience, Noor, patience…” a voice I suppose belonged to God said.
My head felt too heavy for my shoulders.
Umbrage and tired, I raked my eyes over again. “I’m trying.” I replied unconsciously.
No. No empty seat.
My shanks and ankles rebelled uncompromisingly.
Standing near one of the numerous entrances to the Rajdhani, I couldn’t blame them.
I stole a glance at my ticket. “Seat no. 089” it screamed back. I directed my eyes to the myth. No. He hadn’t recovered yet. I had kindly given (I wonder how…) my seat to an elderly gentleman, suffering from an un-timed attack of asthma, whose seat was right beside mine. Being an asthma patient myself, I understood of course, that the old guy needed space.
Were these few flickering moments of sympathy and empathy that kindled and rekindled the fire of humanity and made sure it never got put off?
Well. Shit to humanity, my legs ached like hell.
A student’s life wasn’t just all the fun and game. Especially when you are granted a week off, have to travel for 2 and a half days across a country to go home and are loaded with assignments and projects that took a solemn oath, never to leave you … be it wherever you go, except the grave.
The icing on the cake, being a fight with friends before encountering the mini vacation, resulting into cans of beer and no sleep whole night.
Lovely. As life is.
I wanted to take a stroll. At this turn of time, I envied the gods and goddesses more than anyone else, who could stand so still and so gracefully for as long as their devotees wanted them to. I moved my right foot. No chance. Electrically induced. I waited for a minute, and then tried again --- in vain.
“Aashiq banayaa , aashiq banayaa, aashiq banayaa..aapne… tere bin suni suni hai raahein, tere bin pyaasi pyaasi nigaahein, tere bin chain mujhko …”
I recalled back the craze I had for this song when I installed the particular real tone on my beloved black Nokia 3230.
How situations mastered emotions.
“Hell..” and how some cell phones manage to remain on earth, even in the middle of nowhere, I really did not understand ( being a lazy physics student altogether).
Before I could rip open the adamant zip of my canvas hand bag, I hear it all again.
Hell. Only, this time it wasn’t the cell. No. I could see a group of hooligans faggoting in the boggy joining mine.
Four of them. All weirdly dressed up. Red, orange, blue, purple, you could find the complete VIBGYOR in them. And they all seemed to have a hell of a time laughing at me.
“Yaar Suraj, mausam bada beimaan hai…right?”
Obviously hilarious to them.
I gaped at them. Knowing the expression portraying all the to fro emotions—anger, pain, frustration, helplessness, etc, etc, I am not surprised at the way they made some lame joke about the whether being too hot and too cold at the same time, and practically scurrying off, except one.
And do you need a special invitation, sir?
Was it the dim light or the fast wind, I do not yet understand, but he seemed to be morphed into an entirely different being than when with the others.
I can never forget that radiating and ever so angelic and at the same time, astonishingly devilish face, belonging to the lanky physique, strained and athelietic (now I know, due to the numerous mountain climbing and trekking) build.
My knight on the white horse?
Gurl, your brain sucks. Get a grip. Look at him. Inspiration for Waltz Disney.
Yes. How slumber anaesthetizes the senses…
“What are you gaping at me for?” I shot at him.
“What if I ask you the same?” he fired back.
“Look here…I don’t have the energy…”
“I know. Why don’t you sit? Surely, you have a ticket.”
I showed him mine and nodded towards my virtual seat. “He’s not well…”
“So aren’t you.” His voice seemed to be floating away to a far off foggy land.
I don’t remember what I murmured.
My knees gave in.
I think it is human nature to stop struggling when there is a better option.
Swiftly he ran forward and stopped me from falling down.
Hell. He was strong.
“Leave me, you asshole.” Please don’t. I can’t stand anymore.
“Sure I will…” he muttered under his breadth as he easily won over the fake fight I had put up.
His face was so close to mine. Even in that frustrating moment, I could not help noticing the wrinkles on his forehead. What was he thinking?
His black shining eyes hinted tints of care and compassion.
To hell with you.
I closed my eyes slowly but firmly, hoping not to open them for a long time.
I listened quietly to the steady rhythm of his breadth.
Slowly, he took me to the next boggy. Plenty of space. I wouldn’t mind lying down on the floor though.
He made me sit on the edge of a seat. I almost fell on my side but for the strong arm put forward just in time.
Someone whistled. Some others giggled.
A moment and they all silenced.
I fought between opening my eyes to see what was going on and keeping them shut to not lose any more energy, finally settling for the latter.
I felt him sit down beside me.
Sleep.
See.
The fight again.
No energy.
I drooped until my skull rested on something hard.
I thankfully slept away everything else.
I woke up to a cloudless and pleasant blue sly.
The intoxicating air draped around me.
The lush green blanket beneath me whispered something.
What? I didn’t bother.
I looked around. Where was I?
The waterfalls. I stared at the fierce fall of the angry water on the ever so modest and welcoming smooth edged rocks.
The hilly area around me screamed green.
But no signs of human life. I thought I knew how Adam or Eve must have felt when kicked out from heaven.
How such beautiful paradises could mean nothing without company…
Life was never fair.
I looked down. My dress.... what was I wearing?
My jeans and kurti were replaced by an elegant beige silk dress.
Who was I supposed to be?
Dust. Flying dust. Moving towards me. Horses’ hooves. The white horse. The guy riding it…oops!..the knight riding it…
My knight on the white horse?
Why are you so obsessed with your knight tonight?
How am I supposed to know…
Why did knights mask their faces?
Could it be a more intelligent question?
Got morphed. Not me…my clothes. I was wearing my jeans and kurti back. The horse flew away and a bike was racing towards me. And on it sat my masked knight, in red sleeve less t-shirt and blue jeans.
I looked around.
“Have Fun At Khandala!!” a cheerful sign board read.
KHANDALA!!!???KNIGHT????!!!!
Now ‘knight’ for me wasn’t the same as knight for other girls. I, as a girl, was (abnormal, if u like to put it that way) never interested in boy friends and such dull trends. It all seemed so fake to me. So I never pictured my hero to come and kiss me and me, being sleeping beauty or snow white, kissing him back. No.
What I always wanted was a best friend to come and hold my hand, to give a shoulder for support whenever I needed…
But it all never happened…
Anyways, I’ll spare u the sad story of my life long wait.
“…NISHIKAANT…”
“Mhmm…too long a name…” I murmured.
Loud laughter.
“O hello madam..uthiye..aapka bedroom nahi hai..”
“What the hell…its so beautiful…” some embarrassing habits eat you up in unconscious situations and you cant help it.
Laughter again. Louder this time.
I opened one eye reluctantly and immediately squinted it back.
Sunlight poured in through the window behind my head.
The train!! My dream…I was dreaming?
What other possible explanation do you have?
The ass hole Suraj from last night was sitting on the seat opposite to mine.
“Uth gayee madam? Bana diya na hamare dost ka bharta?”
“Yaar please..sone do..” I could have slapped myself.
“Yaar Nishikaant..tune is Kumbhkaran ki behen ko kaha se utha laya?”
Yeah right. Kiss my ass.
Nishikaant…familiar..yet..
“Yaar mujhe uthna hai…” a familiar voice. What was going on again?
“ Usko utha pehle.” Definitely, Suraj.
“So rahi hai…” the familiar voice.
“Phir tu bhi so ja.” Ass hole.
I sat up reluctantly.
Where was the ‘familiar’ guy?
I looked around.
Nowhere.
I turned to look at the window.
And he’s sitting right beside me…the guy who brought me to this seat..but…I was sleeping on this seat till now……..on his lap???????????????
BULLSHIT.
Get a grip, girl. The eternal voice. Act as if you never realized.
What would I have done without you?
Coolly, I asked, “What date is it?”
“25th, the Sunday.” He replied.
“Huh….excuse me!…I’m sure you are mistaken…”
“Madam, aap pichhle bees ghanto se so rahi thi.” Suraj.
I gaped at him.
Oh come on!
Don’t go for that.
He’s an ass.
I looked at my wrist watch, which, I felt stuck out its tongue at me and witnessed in favor of Suraj.
I suddenly felt the pangs of hunger. No food for more than 24 hours!…and my bowels…
I stood up and made a dash for the toilet.
When I came back, thankfully, Suraj was not to be seen in the premises.
Mr. Familiar was staring out at the window.
I sat down beside him.
“Where are you going?”
“Wherever the train is taking me to…kolkata..” he smiled… “why you thought California?”
Courtesy and gratefulness prevented me from punching him right on the face.
I got up and moved towards my supposedly seat number 089.
The elderly gentleman’s wrinkled face clearly expressed worry and disturbance as his small black eyes ran through the newspaper.
“Good afternoon, sir. How are you feeling now?” I asked.
Startled, he looked up at me. “My dear! Where have you been? I was worried to death. Your seat…”
“Its alright sir. There are a few empty seats scattered here and there. I was with a few friends of mine.”
Astonished at my own words, I listened to him talking about his youth. Clearly he cherished the golden days.
“Go ahead. Have fun but do come back whenever you feel like…” he murmured, still drowned in his own thoughts.
Damn it. Clearly, I was supposed to go back to the VIBGYOR.
“Mmm..do you mind me sitting here?”
“Does it bother? You already slept here.” The unmistakable mockery in his voice…
“Thanks to you.” I answered back.
He moved to make place for me.
“What do you do?” I was trying to reap conversation, and I didn’t know why.
“Whatever you do…eat, sleep (not exactly like you), walk, run…” the so confident and sarcastic smile…
“Oh!…I never knew.” I rolled my eyes.
“Do you want to ask something else? Maybe you are trying to ask something but are ending up with something else…”
“Like?”
“You would know better…”
It was useless to continue.
I sought refuge in my walkman. Cold play.
“Its too loud.”
Above my head. “What’s your problem?” I shouted.
‘The sarcastic smile’. “Tch tch..poor thing. What else can she say…”
“Mazaak uda rahe ho mera?”
“Haan. Koi problem hai?”
“Nahin. Udaao. Hum dono saath me milkar hasenge.”
Hehehehe. (well)
Hahahahhaha (sick)
Hohohoho (disgusting)
“Bas bahut ho gaya…aur nahi hasna.”
I laughed out loud.
There is nothing better than a good laugh. The fog cleared off.
“IITB.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“I’m studying at , gadhi.”
“OIC. What?”
“Shoe-polishing.”
‘Wow! Our college doesn’t have that course…”
“That’s the specialty of IIT.”
“Hero hai tu bhi.”
“Haan heroine.”
Night fell quietly.
“Nishikaant?”
“Hmm.”
“NISHIKAANT?”
“My friends call me Nishi and family members Nishu.”
“I know. But I’m not going to call you all that.”
“Achha…to kya bulayengi aap? “
“Nishikaant. I love the name. But its too long…”
“You know what it means?
“Not exactly…but I guess something to do with the night…”
“The knight of the night.”
“The knight…” the knight?
“Knight… I mean Nishikaant… tomorrow early morning we are reaching Kolkata… I want to thank you…”
“For what? My lap?”
“Hell. Yes. More. Thank you for everything.”
“Keep it to yourself.”
Pause.
“What if I kneel down right now and propose…will you be my best friend?”
I laughed.
“Is that something to ask?” he smiled.
“No. I’m an asshole. You don’t even know me.”
“You know what heroine?”
“No I don’t. You tell me.”
“I’ll be frank. Please don’t take it otherwise. I don’t know you, as you said. I have not given that position of ‘best friend’ to anyone yet. For as long as I know you, I like you, I like talking to you, knowing about you, but there it is. I don’t know you.
I take time to get associated with people.
I could have said very well, yes, I’ll be your best friend. But I don’t want any myth.
But then of course I can be your best friend. No one knows tomorrow. Just wait and watch.”
Pause.
“Over?”
“Hmm.”
“My turn. Nishikaant I damn care. Neither do I know you. But as far as you portray yourself, rather, as far as I interpret you, I find in you, qualities that are so simple and so astonishing at the same time. I am puzzled and at the same time, happy, when I talk to you. In you, I find the ‘best friend’ of my fairy tale. The knight on the white horse, who never came. Maybe never will. There is such a close resemblance, that I am magnetized to you. The two and a half days spent with you, were two and a half lives for me. For years I have avoided my self questioning me. For years, I have avoided the fact that I am alone. You reminded it all. I am not in love with you, for heaven’s sake. No. I admire you. I appreciate you. I look up to you. I don’t care if you will or won’t be my friend, as you already are, in my puppet show. My fairy tale kingdom, whose empress is me. And my puppet show where I, the master of the show decides everything.
So either way, its you.”
“You are mad.”
“Can’t help. Born that way.”
“Its late. We got to get up before dawn. Go to sleep heroine. Good night. And don’t think too much.” He smiled and closed his eyes.
Yeah sure. What do you think will a nocturnal like me do in a moving train when everyone else is sleeping?
Well. Hell.
When you are sleeping in peace,
Under the magnificent and caring arms of the star studded night,
Guarded by the awake moon…
Lost in the fascinating world of involuntary imagination…
Dreaming of girls in bikinis and fairies in gowns…
I sit and wonder.
I look at you calm and closed eyelids.
The hair falling beautifully on your forehead,
The unconscious movement of your lips…
I am startled at the quiet and sudden movement of you arm, adhering me to you.
“My pillow…” you murmur.
Your face expressed confusion.
“Damn.” You wake up, startled, after you see your ‘pillow’…
a momentary stare of utter confusion.
An outburst of laughter.
“O heroine! What you doing here?”I smile and reply, “Locking you up in my kingdom, my Knight. You see, you are too precious to me. I don’t trust that moon.”
