You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

When time stood still!

{5}

‘Would you mind if I sit down on your berth?’

My throat went dry hearing her words.

‘No, absolutely not.’

The words simply fell out of my mouth while my lips curved into a sheepish smile. In the next minute, she was comfortably seated in front of me with her legs crossed. I removed the headphones hanging around my neck and put it in my bag while she sat gazing outside the window. The cold air almost gave me goose bumps but she remained unfazed even when the rain drops sprinkled on her face. I could not help brazenly staring at her. The good boy in me was furious at my own shamelessness. Never before have I stared at the features of a woman for two full minutes. My eyes began slowly consuming the beauty, moving from her long eyebrows, to her almond eyes and then to her luscious peach lips. The train began to leave the platform and I reluctantly tore my gaze away from her before she could catch me red-handed. It would have been too embarrassing and I certainly did not want to come across as some idler whose primary occupation was to gaze at women. A few more minutes passed. I tried to keep myself still by gazing at the city lights outside the window but my mind was as restless as a new born. Rain-soaked Bengaluru passed before my eyes but I barely noticed anything. An unknown fear enveloped me in the darkness of her beauty.

‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’

Her husky voice broke through the silence shattering every single wall I had built around my little heart. When I turned to look at her, a slow smile began at the corner of her lips.

‘Usually, I choose an AC coach for my night journey but luckily I could not manage to get a ticket. This is my first night journey in the sleeper coach of a train. The rain only made it even better,’ she said with a subdued enthusiasm.

‘Nothing can beat a train journey. It gives you a chance to be a part of someone else’s life,’ I replied.

Honestly, I was impressed with my own words. I have no clue where they came from but I was just glad that they did. She slightly raised an eyebrow in appreciation. The rain had now reduced to a drizzle and the bustling city was left behind. She rolled up the sleeves of her kurta which exposed her slender hands and long fingers. The rocking train and its lullaby filled the air. Usually, sleep willingly entered my eyes when I travel on a train but tonight she owned my eyes. The lights in our compartment were put out and everyone settled on their berths to be lulled into a deep sleep, except us.

‘Have you been to Chennai before?’ she asked after a couple of moments.

‘Yes, only once, but it was long ago with my parents. I was a teenager back then and I hated the humidity. Now, I am travelling to meet my cousin who shifted to Chennai a year ago. She has been pestering me to visit her for the past few months.’

My eyes kept darting in and out of the window although there was only darkness outside. I simply could not bring myself to gaze at her eyes for more than five seconds. They were too intimidating. Those were the kind of eyes which make you fall in love, even in your dying moments.

‘How about you? Have you visited Chennai before?’ I asked to keep the conversation going.

‘Yes, many times. A few of my relatives and friends have settled in Chennai. Although this time, I am not going to only visit them. My sculptures will be exhibited at A Painter’s Garden exhibition hall on Wednesday. I had been working on them for the past four months in Chennai.’

If she was a sculptor, her voice was absolute bass music. She was a masterpiece of art.

‘A sculptor?! That is indeed amazing. Since when have you been sculpting?’

‘Ever since my father gave me a handful of clay. He is passionate about pottery although he is a Professor. During my childhood, our Sundays were spent at the small potter’s wheel he had fixed in our backyard. Eventually, I was very much in love with sculpting to choose anything else in life,’ she said with a hint of pride in her voice.

The rain had ceased and it was replaced by the cold breeze. She pulled down the glass shutter of the window. We could see occasional lightnings in the horizon. Neither did I ask her anything more to prolong the conversation nor did she. Once again, the silence crept up like a lazy cat and stretched out, filling the space between us. Somehow, I could not help concluding that she liked to be left alone. If she did not feel comfortable with me, she would not have come down from her berth to sit with me. Also, not to forget that she initiated the conversation. Whatever maybe the reason for her silence, I rest assured that it was certainly not me. She kept gazing into the darkness and not once did she look at me. But I stole glances at her, especially when there was a lightning. Science had taught me at school that light travelled faster than sound. Every time her face was lit up by the lightning, it was followed by a thunder, barely giving me any time to recover. Each time I heard the thunder, my heart broke into a million pieces. It was pure magic.

After a while, her heavy eyelids began to droop. She was slowly drifting towards sleep but I was still awake gazing at the dreamlike girl sitting before me. When the train came to a halt at the next station, she opened her eyes. Quickly, I looked out of the window pretending to be interested in the tea stall on the platform.

‘I am so sorry for keeping you awake. We should get some sleep now,’ she said putting her feet down from my berth.

‘It is alright, you don’t have to apologize. Anyway, I was not sleepy,’ I said with a smile.

‘Thank you and it was nice meeting you.’

She climbed up onto her berth and lied down. But before closing her eyes, she gave me a smile which would haunt me for a lifetime…

I opened my eyes when I heard the noise of people taking out their luggage. A tear had slipped out of my eye. The memory of my first meeting with Asmi was still a memory which invoked both pain and pleasure inside me. I would give my entire life just to relive that one night with her. Stepping out of the train with my luggage, I looked around to see if anyone I knew was visible. Kunal’s wedding venue was his grandmother’s house in a village called Uchila of Mangalore district. The wedding is a very close-knit affair with only relatives and close friends. They have planned a big reception in Mumbai, where both the bride and the groom’s family had settled years ago. The driver who was assigned to pick me up from the railway station found me easily. Apparently, Kunal had shared my photo and phone number with him. It was a warm afternoon and the sun was merciless. I put on my sunglasses and walked towards the parking lot. Jane, Andrew and baby Angel were to arrive later in the evening. Our stay was arranged in Kunal’s uncle’s house which was only a stone’s throw from the wedding venue. I was indeed excited to attend his wedding because this was my first experience to be part of a destination wedding. Well, I was glad that the destination was not a happening tourist destination but a quiet coastal village.

The travel from Mangalore to Uchila was along the coastline. The blue sea always had a calming effect on my mind. I deeply inhaled the humid air heavy with the smell of the sea. My next three days would be a joyful experience cherished forever. What I did not know was that it was only a brief silence before the storm. I was warmly welcomed by Kunal’s family and they gave me a room in his uncle’s house. Kunal’s cousin Ashok shared the room with me while Jane and her husband were allotted the room next to mine. A cold bath gave me much relief from the heat outside. Thankfully, the house was well-ventilated which kept the atmosphere quite pleasant inside. During lunch, I was served a sumptuous vegetarian meal. We were seated on the floor of the house and the food was served on plantain leaves. Kunal’s aunt was a lady who was indeed motherhood personified. She showered her love on me in the form of food which I simply could not refuse. Despite all the chaos and hustle of wedding preparations, Kunal and I managed to find ourselves alone on the porch.

‘Did Jenny tell you when was she arriving?’ I asked Kunal.

‘They should be here by 6.30 in the evening. I have already informed the driver to pick them up from the railway station,’ he said dusting the turmeric that had accidentally spilled on his shirt.

‘Well, I will join the driver. Please tell him to call me before leaving.’

‘Why? Aren’t you tired?’ asked Kunal raising his eyebrow.

‘A little bit. But that is fine. I really loved the journey from the station to Uchila. Anyway, you are going to be busy with wedding preparations. So, I might just use this time to once again experience that beautiful journey.’

He thought for a second and agreed to the plan. Meanwhile, his mother called him and he went inside the house. I sat there watching the path leading to the beach behind his house. It was too inviting to resist the temptation. I stood up and turned around to put on my sandals. That’s when my universe came to a standstill. For a moment, my heart stopped beating.

Walking towards me, dressed in a lime yellow sari, was the woman who owned my days and haunted my nights.

Asmi.

                              To be continued...