Chapter 11

Waking up next to a man in the morning was never a dream yet I found myself waking up beside a man. Oh! The life of a woman. I smiled inwardly thinking about the progress I had made in eighteen hours of leaving home. Here I wouldn't hug my best friend fearing a backlash from my mother and ho, I was sharing a seat with a stranger, trusting him and sleeping with him (not like sleeping, sleeping).

My wavering thoughts pasted a permanent smile on my face which definitely didn't go unnoticed by the man with me.

"Anything special about that broad smile on your face."

"Good morning." I retorted back and put him in his place with my formality.

"Did you sleep?" I asked.

"Not much. What about you?"

"I have a sore back. It's going to be a while before it stops paining." I was looking for my toiletries while he was too occupied with himself to care. "Is the train on time?"

"I suppose, will be there in three hours."

"Good. I will just be back."

He nodded. The excitement of reaching Mumbai had driven every other experience into oblivion. I was being naïve, I didn't care. My thoughts were preoccupied with my new routine. I fantasised about every aspect of my career, a big break, making great friends, befriending celebrities, hobnobbing with socialites, exuding power over the cops, and amidst all this a faint desire to deliver concrete news, bringing the reality of the ground roots to people. But sadly, the glitter and glamour of reaching Mumbai had for that moment faded out on the purpose with which I had actually begun my journey. And it did strike me immediately when I checked on my list and got my perspective back. I absolutely told myself that while I might be setting on foot in a world that was new, glamorous and shining, I can never lose the sense of my purpose and goal. With that determination, I think I got my lost spark back.

When I came back Agam had befriended the grouchy couple and the Muslim family. He smiled on seeing me.

"Hey! Breakfast?"

"Yep. I hope it isn't as bad as it was yesterday."

"Till I know the food was good for survival."

"I know you were eating ravenously. For a moment I thought I should offer you mine because I was so not interested."

"Okay." He scrunched his nose and sighed. "You know you put on airs like a princess. Why are you travelling by train?"

"I am my father's princess." There was no point telling him about the struggles to manage a ticket on a premium train like Duronto. Hell, I wasn't even expecting to travel in the AC compartment let alone this train. The huge hole it dented in my father's pocket. With nothing to say I put forward the same question to him. "Why are you travelling on a train if you can't manage to sleep without your king size bed?"

"Hmmm...to catch on sleep." It was a ROFL moment. And I could not escape the "really?" that tumbled out of my mouth instantaneously.

"If I would have taken the flight, I would have to report to work immediately. So, I decided to cite no tickets as the reason to travel by train and catch on some sleep. I have been working constantly on the field for the last three days without sleep; so..."

"Even after burning yourself out to the maximum capacity, you did not sleep. Phew! Are you on any pills?"

He raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes in amazement.

"You're one hell of a kind woman." And I giggled and then it turned into a bout of infectious laughter that both of us could not control. It was surprising how comfortable we had become with each other in a matter of few hours.

"No, I am not on pills or high on any drugs."

I staged a cough. "Ahem."

"Seriously, I haven't, I am just used to this. I will catch on the much-needed sleep once I reach home and that would be like the sleep of 48 hours at a stretch."

"Whoa! You're a glutton."

"Nah...I told you I eat to survive. I am not a picky eater." And if that was a cue, the breakfast was brought in and handed to us. He removed the cling wrap, tore open each foil container and begun eating in no time. While I took my own sweet time to smell and feel the food spread out before me before deciding it was fit to be tasted or not. I simply passed on my tray to him, deciding to survive only with a cup of coffee. He raised his eyes in mock horror but did not press me like my ma to eat my food or tell me about the importance of nourishment early in the morning.

Agam finished everything off before he started talking. Meanwhile, I had buried my nose in the "Sea of Poppies" again.

"Why do you attempt to read it when you clearly can't?" He sighed. "Oh my God! Is this your antidote to boredom?"

I had no particular fancy to feel offended because for a matter of fact he was speaking the truth.

I just made a face at him with no wish to answer him back. The point of reading was now lost completely. I put the book back in my bag.

"Happy?"

"Why should I be?"

And before I could give him a piece of my sarcastic words, he was approached by the couple for directions.

"Hey, buddy! You live in Mumbai, right?'

Agam simply nodded.

"Could you just help me out with the directions to reach...?" I could not catch the rest of the conversation until I heard the last sentence. "I have a train to catch to Goa."

I had lost interest. By the time he mentioned Goa; I was back hanging on to each word of theirs.

"Goa! Dream Destination?" He asked me.

I found Agam very perceptive. He would lead on our conversations with the right questions and would also let them die down a natural death if he wasn't interested in knowing further. He rarely allowed the conversation to flow in his direction or was I disinterested in his life. Somehow, I found his habit peculiar. But anyway he was still a stranger to me to bother me much.

"Not sure if I have it on my bucket list as a dream destination and don't ask about my dream destination or my bucket list because I don't have any."

He was grinning. "I wasn't probing Abhilasha."

"Whatever."

"I have been to Goa for work but I am yet to try going on a leisure trip. Let's see."

"Okay." My stance was a clear giveaway that I wasn't interested in anything related to Goa.

"Do you travel often?" And there he went again with those questions. This time I was compelled to lie. And I did.

"Yeah...almost. I travel twice a year for leisure trips with my family and sometimes I pack my bag to go on a trip with dad for work." It was a blatant lie. I had been out of Kolkata barely five times in my life. Twice to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Bakkhali (if that counts). But I had heard Jigar describing his family trips to me in detail. I was just going to draw inspiration to build my story for Agam around it.

He was in awe of my declaration. "Where have you been?"

"In the north of India, I have visited Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Haridwar, Shimla, Manali, Dehradun, Amritsar, Chandigarh, in the west it is Mumbai and parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. It's a long list so don't ask the names." I don't know if he was floored but I had got enough attention from everyone around me.

"That is an incredible list. Do you have more to add to that list?"

I was emboldened by his question and the numerous eyes on me. I started weaving my stories with perfect ease, replacing Jigar in every story with me. The hours quickly passed by with Agam and I chatting over places, food, experiences, culture, comfort, everything, and anything that let me spin a beautiful yarn in which I was the princess of my father's castle.

The spell was broken by the loud honk of the local train wheezing past ours, marking my arrival into a reality that I had to now live alone. The admirers of my adventure looked at me with respect and I enjoyed my newfound glory in the story of a daughter of a rich businessman, leaving no stones unturned for his favourite daughter. Ironically, everything was true except the part where I was rich.

With fifteen minutes left for the train to reach Mumbai, I was the only one not busy collecting my luggage to move out. I was hit by the sudden realization of not carrying fancy luggage to show off. For a person to have travelled in luxury, her luggage not exuding the same would be the death of her charade. So, I sat looking at everyone preparing to get off while I remained glued to my seat.

"Everything okay?" Agam enquired. "Don't you want to get off or have you developed cold feet and want to run back home?"

I gave a hysterical laugh. "Nothing of that sort. It's just that I cannot understand the hurry to move out. I mean the train has reached its destination, so why the hurry."

Agam looked at me in amazement. "Are you for real?"

"Try pinching me or yourself." I shrugged my shoulders to ease off my panic.

He took a deep breath, looked at me and collected the little luggage he had carried. The train reached CSMT and everyone was on their feet, moving out in a queue. Agam waved his hand at me. I finally snapped out and started removing my luggage from beneath the seat. He was too preoccupied with his phone to look at me or my luggage. I convinced myself that even if my lie was exposed, what did it matter? He would just think of me as shallow but how did it affect me? He was after all a mere stranger.

I walked out with great difficulty with my luggage. With no wheels, it was a mammoth task to drag. I was totally absorbed in the task at hand when a tap on my shoulder lifted my spirits. I thought of it to be help from someone taking pity on me. It was Agam. He looked different. Perhaps the Ray ban sunglasses had added to his charm. He took his hand away from his luggage and brought it out for a handshake.

"All the best for your life in Mumbai. And I hope you remain innocent," and he walked away without completing his sentence. I kept on staring at his back, amazed at his words. They had me glued to my spot as if one move forward and I will be corrupted forever.

I sighed and smiled, waiting but Agam never turned back, indicating he was just a stranger I had met on the train.