I lay down on my berth, middle berth to be precise, in a three tier AC coach. It’s almost midnight.
I am, not particularly, a fan of railways, but I respect them; however, as the darkness descends and the lights inside the compartments go out one by one… and you sit still with the headphones on, looking out into the black expanse.
You can hear the wind telling tales, the planet very sparsely sprinkled with yellow twinkles, sometimes all you can make out, is voluminously spread out country side, taking shapes of their own… each spinning their own yarn. And, the stars, riddled sky adding character to the scene. And, then the compartments inside, camouflage into something totally different than what they seem during the day.
Its beyond midnight, I lay down. I would have liked to sit by the window some more and do nothing, reveling and musing some more, nevertheless, sometimes even speck of desires like this are dictated by social norms… ah, sometimes…
Fell asleep, to the lullaby of the strains flowing from my inseparable headphones mixed with the rhythmic hum of the train ricocheting all the way up to those headphones.
Fell asleep with this and dreaming of kids, my own – when I would have them.
Fell asleep dreaming a few other prayers which emanate from, the calmness that envelopes you at night.
Fell asleep, slowly drifting into the other plane from half wakefulness of comings and goings of the stations, people and then the whistling wind and amidst all this, trying hard to listen to something which talks from within.
:
:
:
Suddenly woke up, to one of the favorite numbers playing peacefully, moon light straining feebly through the shuttered windows.
There’s something with this song, I do not comprehend the language. But, has the music ever been about the language it is set on? There’s a haunting quality to it, which has always strung something – something which I call heart. Bleary eyed, I slowly drift back to the present, the compartment almost has a pin drop quite, the metallic hum still in concert with the wind.
And, from the deep recess of mind, heart… an image floats in, clear as it can be.
Another moonlit night, the song still playing (life too sometimes has background score!), a face (hey, I know this face…!!) … a deliberate half smile, slow leisurely walk, walking towards me? Rooted to the point I was, all I could do was look, wide eyed. And, the mind was frantically trying to recognize the face, to make sense of the confusion, the song, the smile. Trying to make sense of what the smile was doing to the spirit.
Not a touch, not even as much as a whiff of smell, of the warmth… and I could still sense the affection, the benediction wash over me. And, why were my eyes stinging with drops of saline?
Dream? What do you call this? It wasn’t a day dream. It was an image, as crystal, as could be.
I picked my cell phone to see if, I had signal in these distant shores, when the cell zones change even before the base station has time to process the service provider identity. (am I really a geek?)
Two reassuring bars on the signal side of the screen. A silent thanks to the gods of technology.
I flicked open my contacts menu, looking for… the face that had floated in…
A face that I did not care much about. Just another casual acquaintance.
Ring. Another and then another.
Connect.
“Hey, hi… umm… just to say hi, actually, wasn’t getting sleep…and…”
“You know what, good you called… right from the time you left, I have been thinking of calling you….”
“Oh, so why didn’t you? Umm…I was anyways, getting bored and not getting sleep… so generally…”
“Awrite, enough… I was actually sleeping and then woke up with a start, I think I dreamt of you… or something like that… I don’t know what….but this was quite different, I really cannot explain… I still cannot make sense of it….. I think… no, I know… I don’t think I can imagine this life without you. I love you!”
“…….”, all I could muster was a sigh, a deep sigh….
My clinical, practical mind, too, was stunned for the moment! But, i knew.... that this... was...
Was this possible? Or was it just the euphoria of night?
The cuddled up spirit suddenly bloomed.
The mind - surgical and all was for once, was one with the hopeless romantic heart!
“By the way, you do sound quite good, sleepy!”
I know why the drops of saline were washing my cheeks.
I know, why those simple oft reapeated words made me float with the full moon in a deep aubergine sky.
I can still feel the butterflies, the chill and all the other clichés intact.
I know, it’s once in lifetimes, one gets to be here, where I am.
I know, pages have been dedicated to this.
Zillions of electrons wasted over this. Millions of songs sung. No, am not claiming this is different.
All I am saying is this is bliss.
Just to, finally know for yourself, this does exist!
Submit Your Review for Beginning Of Another Love Story - And Yet...
Required fields are marked with (*). Your e-mail address will not be displayed.
Submit Your Rating for Beginning Of Another Love Story - And Yet...