STORY OF MY CLOSEST FRIEND
I was at Rohini Metro station. I was waiting for the next metro to inderlok. The Metro arrived and i stepped inside. It was sunday and there was no crowd inside. I was going to FUN CINEMA to join my first day at job. After 12th, i decided to do a job on saturdays and sundays so that i could earn some money and also ghost of loneliness don't follow me. It is the normal habit of humans that once you are inside a bus, train or metro you look for a seat. But it is not only difficult to get a seat in metro but near to impossible as every five minutes you will hear the announcement-"GIVE YOUR SEAT TO OLD AGE PROPLE, WOMAN AND HANDICAPPED." There is no day in calender when any one of them who lies in the above three categories are not travelling. But was lucky this time as i saw one seat in cornor. i felt like a jackpot winner and almost ran to the seat to sit. I opened my job description file to read the instructions given by my senior. It was written
-(1):SELLING TICKETS(2):MAINTAINING ACCOUNTS(3):HELPING MANAGER(4):MAINTAINING AUDIENCE COMFORTAs i was about to read the 5th instruction, a voice touched my ear chords and i looked up. I saw a young girl fighting for a seat with a 21 year old boy. "can't you see , i am girl and you are still seating, don't you here the announcement" the girl said. the boy replied "so what does,why always boys have to give up." he had a point there and the male chauvinistic in me echoed his voice. The girl replied back "what the hell? it means that you would say the same to your mother and sister too". she was angry now as her words suggested. The boy remained silent. He must had had many girl friends thats why he knew that there is no gain in fighting with girls. The girl stepped few steps and came close to me and stood just in front of me. I thought of giving her my seat but the male chauvinistic in me interferred-"hey! stupid once a while you get a seat in a metro and you are going to to give your seat just because of a girl." I changed my mind and bent my head down and started redaing instructions again. But i was feeling that the girl was looking at me. I was not able to control myself and looked upwards and saw her. She was indeed looking at me as if any time going to kill me. But god, she was beautiful. I saw her very close and her eyes were really killing. suddenly the same announcement made-"GIVE SEATS TO OLD AGE PEOPLE, WOMAN AND HANDICAPPED".
I had no choice but to get up. I siad-"Please take my seat". she replied-"your seat?....you are saying as if it was your name is written on the seat!". These words were harsh. I was expecting a 'thank you' and smile on face but contrastingly got harsh words and 'always so angry face'. i was the lone man standing but somewhere i was regereting my decision as i gave up my seat to a girl who felt that it was the duty to give her seat. ok, duty is alrite but where the hell is my right to have seat. do i need to become a lady or wait 30 more years or break my leg to have seat. well, the metro reached keshav puram and one old lady stepped inside. as she entered, she looked to that same boy. i thought that he will give his seat atleast to the old lady but he was a pure delhite boy with no respect either for ladies or old people.
The girl was reading something in her life. she was wearing a shirt trouser, ladies shoes and a bag in hand with files kept in it. i thought she was going for a job interview. she was reading when she saw that old lady who was still standing giving me her companionship. suddenly the announcement was made,"give seat to the woman, old people and handicapped".i was so happy inside. it was my turn to show the the attitude. i looked at her intentionally and she looked at me. her face was saying that she wanted to give the seat to the old lady but she also wanted to prepare herself for the interview. she got up and said,"aunty! please seat here". she proved me that she was a pure delhite girl. now, she and me both were standing. i could see the tension on her face. she needed the the job. i sensed it. may be she or her family was in debt. may be her family was in deep crisis. i was thinking about all this and was watching her face constantly as she was looking outside. suddenly, she turned toward me and and said
"what?" i said,"nothing"
she replied,"then why are you looking at me?"
i -"no, i am not looking at you, actually i wanted to ask you if you are going for a job interview"/
she-"yes, so what does it has to do with you?" yes i was right . she was going for the job interview. actually, a job seeker can understand the emotions of a job seeker. anyway i continued talking. i-"great but where?"
she -"look mister whatever! i am not intrested in talking with you. so please do not disturb me". wow, when beautiful girls get angry they become more beautiful. i thought all these things are filmy but it indeed was true. while i was thinking this,,a 45 year old man who i think had nothing to do in life except joining a non sense fight interfeered. he said-"what's the problem".
I said “ nothing”. But again he showed as if he knows dawwod ibrahim. He said-“you don’t know me boy, just tell me or I will punch you hard”. I got scared as I never wanted to be in this kind of situation. The girl at last broke her silence-“he said nothing,,, so nothing…plz don’t make a issue out of this”. I was relaxed now. It though I am gonna get a big punch on my face.
Inderlok metro station came and she stepped outside the metro and went away. I was watching her go but was helpless. I wanted to know her name but did not dared her to ask that.
I reached fun cinema. Well I thought that my job would be assisting the accounts department but here I was at the door of the hall directing people to their respective seats. Next day too I was doing the same job when I heard-“can u please tell me where is seat number e-24”. She was the same girl whom I met in metro last day. She saw me and said- “you r the same guy to whom I met in metro…isnt you?. I was very happy that she remebereed me. I said-“yes”. She said-“so u work here!”. Well I thought she was making fun of my job so I gave her the direction to the seat. The show got over in 2 hours and I saw her entering into mc donalds with her friends. I sat on my stool and started thinking about my life. I too wanted to be with her, wanted to wear good clothes, shoes, watch. I too wanted a cell phone of mine. I too wanted to come to FUN CIMEMAS in a car. But this was only a dream. In reality I was a son of a ticket checker of indian railways who earns Rs 6000 per month. I studied hard so that I could come to delhi to study here. I achieved my target but after coming here I got to know that the rent of one room in delhi is more than my father’s salary. I had no choice but to do a part time job. Here, I was with a dream of becoming a computer engineer one day siting on a stool @ FUN CINEMAS. As I was in my dreams my colleague mahesh came to me and said-“stop dreaming buddy, the show is about to end ,, go to the exit door”. I said-“how do u know that I was dreaming”. He replied-“ all those who
had sat here on their first day at job dreams like this only including me…..but tell me one thing,, what were you dreaming?” I said-“I am dreaming of a girl whom I met last day in metro”. He replied-“really, what is her name?”. I replied-“I don’t know”. Next day, I was at the rohini metro station. I was in the line to take the ticket of metro to kashmere gate as I had some work there. I heard one girl who was ahead of me in line asking for a ticket to connaght palce. She turned back to go after taking her ticket. She was the same girl. She did not noticed me and went to the the platform. Though I wanted to go to kashmere gate but then I changed my plan and took a ticket for connaugt place. I ran to the platform and saw the metro gate was about to get close. I could have beaten usain bolt that day and ran like anything. I entered and saw her standing just before me. She recognised me and said-“hey! You are the same boy, again, are you following me?”. I was shocked. I said-“ no, no no….please don’t feel like this…its just co incidenece”. She laughed and said-“hahaha…I was kiddin,,,well hi….howz u? I said- “ I am fine…what about you?’. She replied “well, I am very happy today as its my birthday and am going for shopping with my friend to connaught place”. I said-“oh! Happy birthday”. There was a huge difference in her nature as compared to the first time I met her”. I said-“what about your job..you din;t get
it?”.she replied-“no it was just a try, my dad has said that I need to do MBA first”. She became so friendly with me that I can’t tell you and I asked her the reason for being so friendly with me to which she replied-“actually, the first time I saw you then you gave me a good impression, you are not like these stupid delhi boys,,,the next time I saw you @ fun cinemas then I felt that you want to become a self made man. I can always trust guys like you,,,so tell me…wanna be frnds?” she was so fast and I was slow like a turtle. We chatted about everything in that journey. Connaught place was just 15 minutes away when she said-“do you know what we are a big stupids!” I said-“why”. She asked-“tell me my name?”. I surprisingly said-“well, I don’t know”. She said-“that’s what I meant, we met thrice, we have chatted for half an hour but still we don’t know each other’s name”. I don’t know about her but I was a big stupid. I asked her name-“so now tell,,whats your name?” she was about to tell her name when her phone rang. Her friend was waiting for her at connaugth place. She started chatting with her. Connaught place metro station came and we both stepped outside the metro. She was still chatting with her. I was cursing and abusing the inventor of mobile phones. As I completed my last abuse, she too got done with her chat. She said,”so, are you coming with me”. Well I wanted to say yes but I don’t not wanted to be with two girls at one time and that too at connaught place where she came for shopping. I said-“nopes, I have some work here, it will just take 5 minutes and then I will go back to rohini”. She said-“ok,,,bye,,,we will meet tomorrow in metro”. She was so excited about shopping that she forgot to tell me her name and I was so nervous that I forgot to ask her name. I saw her going to her friend. I moved back and took a ticket to home. After one hour I was back at rohini metro station. I saw many police men were there on duty. Checking was going on. The police man checked me two times. I did not dared to ask the reason. There was security at gate area too. I came outside the metro station and saw that a huge crowd was gathered at a particular shop. I went to that shop. It was a electronic equipment selling shop. People were gathered there to watch the news on the television put up by the seller for sale. The news reader read:
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS. TWO BOMB BLASTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE AT CONNAUGHT
PLACE JUST ABOUT 50 MINUTES BEFORE. IT IS SAID THAT THIS IS A TERRORIST ACTIVITY.
After hearing this, I was not able to hear more. She also was there. Sh e went to buy clothes for her birthday. I left her there. Is she alrite? Why the hell did I left her there? This was all coming to my mind. But I ran to the metro station again but metro was not runnung now.
Delhi was on a red alert. I took an autorickshaw. Traffic jam came as hurdle. I ran towards connaught place. I wanted to see her alive by any means. I did not wanted anything. I pleaded to god while I was running-“ please god,,take evrything away from me,,,I don’t want to become a computer enginner,, I don’t want to become rich,,, but please let me see her safe and alive.,,please”. I reached connaught place and what I saw there was unexplainable. There was just blood,, blood and blood. I ran to central park and saw dead bodies lying there as if they were on exhibition. I searched for her. But it was tough to recognize even one of them. I ran to palika bazzar….it was shut. I came back to the main road and saw ambulance taking the bodies to the hospital. I reached the hospital and asked one doctor-“could you please tell me where are the dead bodies”. He replied-“on the first floor,,,,those who had some identity cards with them only their name ls their …go and check out”. I went to the first floor . I saw the list in which there were names of people who were died(only those who had some identity cards with them,,,,needless to say very few were their). I searched for her name but then my brain asked me a question-“ do you know her name” and my sinking heart replied-“ no,,,god,,,I don’t know her name….she was about to tell me when her friend called her……oh god….i should have asked her name….!. I was in tears. I did not knew what to do. I sat on a bench and saw people crying, searching the dead bodies of their loved ones. They were so lucky …tey knew the name of their beloved one. But then I saw some one who made me feel that I am not the unluckiest person on earth. I saw a 28 year old woman with a dead body of her 4 year old son. She was searching for a doctor. Her husband was trying to make her understand that their child was dead but the poor lady did not wanted to accept this fact. I saw a 66 year old father with tears in eyes asking everry one about his son. His son was dead as he knew it also but still that search continued. My pain was nothing in front of pain of these people. I cried that night and thought that why ,,, why everytime we have to hear a news of a bomb blast ,,why everytime we have to see people cry for their lost ones,,,,why god…is their no other means to give death.3 years are gone and I still miss that girl whom I met in a metro. I still remember that angeron our first meeting, I still remember her glowing face when she was going to get new clothes for herself. I still remember the black day when I lost her and many people too lost their loved ones. But there is hope,,yes,, my heart says that she is still alive and am waiting for her.
I still love her and I will love her ever after.
