THAT GLANCE

The bright sunny morning as I got into the bus and took a window seat, I noticed him in blue shirt and black pants along with a black bag on his right hand, looking at his watch after every minutes of two, cancelling the calls which was repeatedly ringing over his phone and impatiently waiting for the bus in the opposite direction

Days later as I reached the busstand I noticed him again but in red casuals and this time he was calm and patient, waiting for the bus in same direction as I was. The bus arrived and we got into the bus. I searched for a window seat but didn’t find any and sat beside an old lady that’s when I felt that he got a seat behind me. I don’t know whether I was being inquisitive, in a meanwhile I overheard his conversation with the conductor; to my surprise he took the ticket to the same destination as that of mine.

As I got up from my place on realizing that my destination was about to reach, I turned back and saw the seat behind me was empty. I was left with unanswered questions which were scribbling through my mind Who was he? Where did he get down?

Days passed by, months passed by and my thoughts were messing up with those unanswered questions and my eyes eager to witness that face once again

One evening as I was coming back from office I saw him walking ahead of me and as a crazy soul I followed him but on the opposite side. After following him long I realized that I have crossed my house and at this time of realization a bus crossed us and by that time he had vanished again. I exclaimed to myself “Poor Me”. Then on expecting to see him on the same path, after office I started taking short steps from the bus stand back home 

One morning it so happened that I saw him again and this time I rushed and got myself introduced to him. He might be in and in wonder “Who is this girl??” but literally I didn’t care, my whole idea was to get myself introduced to him. And he just gave a wide smile and got into the bus. This time I followed him and sat beside him, into the same bus which I usually go to office. He looked at me with a confused face and again gave a wider smile again, and all of a sudden I don’t know what went through his mind and he asked me out for a coffee. I was so astonished that without any delay I emailed my boss for“Work from Home” permission – it’s a special benefit given to employees of the company, twice in a month for those who have completed 2 years of service in the company.

While I was sitting silent I could feel myself in confusion and my heart beating faster as if is going for an exam.

I was enjoying his company in silence that’s when he asked “What happened Liza?” “Why are you so silent?” I was stunned at how did he knew my name to the fact I had never known him before. He smiled and as if he could hear my inner voice, he replied “Yes I know you; it had been months since I know you. It was that evening, on my way back home on bike after a football tournament, you had a short conversation with your cousin who was coincidentally my friend seated behind me on the bike,

When I heard all these, the words were like piercing my ears. I was feeling so embarrassed of myself by thinking over all the craziness I have done and in deep embracement I didn’t have the courage to face him. The waiter came with two cappuccino’s having it both of us was in our own silence. I guess he in wonder of How will I react and I in solving the puzzles that I have just heard and thinking how to react??When I realized that both of us had finished the cappuccino, I said Thank You for the coffee and stood to get up and move out of the café in a hurry. That’s when he held my hand, my heart started beating more faster and moreover I was answer-less when he asked me if I could sit for some more longer.

Though he was holding my hand I could feel myself shivering and out of that shiver the glass filled with water on the table fell down from the table and the sound of the glass breaking into pieces made me realize that I was in fantasy world with my own thoughts accompanied with those unanswered questions, scribbling through my diary and filling up the pages with a stranger’s character whom I never knew

All the following days I searched for that face in the crowds, in the bus stand. Never did I find him again. It still remains as a dilemma where did he get down the very first day when we got into the same bus or Was He a creation of my thoughts which accompanied me in my boredom in my bus journey.