It was raining heavily, pouring down, a welcome respite from the heat of the past week. Huddled under the small over-crowded bus stand, I was waiting for the rain to let up so I could walk back from work, when suddenly, out of nowhere she came walking towards me, and then, as if to intrude into my thoughts, she came and stood beside me. She turned around, probably to check if there was anyone familiar. That is when our eyes met briefly. She smiled at me, but as usual I found it difficult to return the favor; maybe it was my ego or maybe my guilt. I looked away.
This was the fourth or fifth time that I was seeing her from the same bus stand. She catches the same bus every day I think. But it felt little odd that I should see her again today, as it was my last day in the city. Hmm I will never forget the day I saw her for the first time.
It was on the evening of my birthday and as a treat to my friends, they wanted me to take them to a dance bar. None of us had been to a dance bar before. And when one of my friends said he knows this place where you will find the best ‘hot chicks’, we were all excited and ready to go. We got there by 9. Our first impression about the place was that it was cheap and filthy. The crowd wasn’t too great either. But as more and more alcohol went down our throats, we started liking the atmosphere more. The spirits started to have an effect on our spirits too. At some point we were even head banging to the loud bollywood number. And yea my friend was right, there were many hot girls dancing at the bar. When I say hot, yeah they all had good bodies, some had pretty faces too; all that a man looks for in a woman, but still their faces lacked something. That was the first time I saw her.
Some days later, when I was walking back from office I saw her again for the second time from the bus stand. At first I didn’t recognize her, but she looked strangely familiar. As I passed her, it struck me. She was one of the girls from the bar. One of the pretty ones I must say. I turned back to have a second look and saw her getting onto a bus. She looked at me as she felt my eyes on her. She gave me a suspicious look from inside the bus and I quickly turned away my face and the bus rode away. There after I saw her 2 or 3 times at the same bus stand. When she saw me the next time, she gave me a small smile. I didn’t reciprocate and acted as though I am seeing her for the first time. Maybe she recognized me from the bar and there is a very good chance that everyone present at the bar that night might also recognize me and my group, as one my friends threw up on the table. :)
As I was lost in my thoughts, a bus came and she started getting into the bus. Though I prefer walking, I also got into the bus as the rain was not showing any signs of calming down. I grabbed a seat in the middle of the bus. She stood a little away from my seat, holding and leaning onto a pole. I started watching her closely from where I sat and soon, I was again lost in my thoughts. She looked so different that day at the bar. She was clad in a light blue salwar today. Her hair was tied together at the back and there was a small jute bag hanging on her shoulder. She held her wet umbrella on one hand and with the other she was holding onto the pole. A baby’s wail from the back of the bus was disturbing all in the bus but to me, it seemed like a far away cry. My eyes were glued on her face. She looked so calm and composed. She looked herself.
Before I could ponder more, the bus stopped in the front of a school and she got down. I turned back to have a last look at her. She went up to the front of the school gate and a small girl came running from inside the school towards her. And before I could see more, the bus started moving away. I strained and put my neck out of the window to see her. I saw her smile and put out her arms and hug the girl and before I could see more I had lost sight of her. I sat back properly on my seat. I felt something hard in my throat. Her face was fresh in my mind. I stared outside the window. No way! It can’t be her kid!?…Hmmm... Or maybe it was… Or maybe she was picking up somebody else’s kid.
I will never know. I will never see her; never will I get a chance to smile at her again, but I will never forget her.
