40

Just seeing her again, even from a distance reminded him of why he craved to be around her so much. It had only been even less than 24 hours, but since the moment he had met her, he was constantly wondering about her as he knew he was in love and couldn't fall asleep for a long time last night. It had all happened accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.

As he was lost deep down in her thoughts a sudden knock of the door made him jump. He quickly opened the door----------------------and there stood Gauri all looking radiant with her vivacious smile on her beautiful lips. Ramu was stupefied on seeing her at his door step. Rapidly he pulled her inside and closed the door. He made her sit on the bed as that was the only furniture in the room. On the other corner of the bed he sat dumbfounded looking at the floor in astonishment. Gauri, on seeing his face chuckled, "i just wanted to give you a surprise. Now just look at me and stop behaving womanish." She pulled him towards herself and before Ramu realized their lips locked.

"I'm in love with you," Gauri said quietly.

"I too am," Ramu said staring at her.

Gauri could see the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"Hey, hey!!! Let me tell you Gauri that I'm nothing special. I'm a common man with common thoughts and I'm leading a common life, but I love you with all my heart and soul," Ramu whispered in her ears.

"Oh! Yeah, one more thing, you know what? I never ever planned to like you so much; I never thought that you would be on my mind this often. Came as a total surprise but I love it!" Ramu guffawed.

"Words can't explain what a wonderful person you are. And now before you get any ideas---it's a big hug from me to you as I've to leave just now," Gauri said standing up to leave. "And mind you today evening we meet at 6pm at the same restaurant," chuckled Gauri while opening the bolt of the door.

When Gauri was gone, Ramu could hardly sit still. He kept fidgeting, crossing one leg then the other waiting for the evening. It was just an invisible enthusiasm, an excitement burning with a cold flame. He lay down and tried to rest, but couldn't. He pondered again and again of the fact that he had not hunted for love but has inadvertently become its prey.

And finally it was 5 o'clock, time to get ready to go for his date. Hurriedly Ramu got up, freshened himself and got ready wearing his best attire, took a cycle rickshaw and reached the rendezvous point. He was early by 15 minutes. He waited outside the restaurant for a couple of minutes and then made his way inside to a corner table, ordering a cup of tea for himself. As he was sipping upon his tea he saw Gauri entering the restaurant in a jiffy. Ramu signaled her to his table and she came hurriedly, huffing and gasping taking a chair to sit upon.

"Why? What's happened?" Ramu's tone was macabre.

"Oh! Nothing, it seemed as if someone was following me," Gauri replied hoarsely and nervously.

"Don't worry, no one knows us here," Ramu called out as if nothing serious had happened.

"No, but I'm still scared out of my wits," Gauri replied in a sinister voice.

Ramu took her hand in his, "But, you are a brave girl, isn't it? So, why get scared?"

He tried his best to make the seriousness of the atmosphere airy and comic by his witty and jovial talks. In a few minutes Gauri was back to her normal self.

"Here, i've brought something for u," putting her hand in her purse Gauri said. From there she took out an old mobile phone which seemed to have been not used so often. Then she methodically explained to Ramu the working of the instrument and also gave her mobile number to him on a piece of paper.

In the meantime, the waiter had taken their order of tea and pakoras.

"So, Ramu are you really leaving tomorrow?" Gauri asked in a low spirited whisper.

"Yes, I've to, although I don't want to!!" Ramu replied in a despondent mood.

Their order of tea and pakoras had arrived by then. Munching at pakoras and after washing them down with tea, Gauri suddenly asked, "But we'll be meeting for sure every Sunday, isn't it? And you will be calling me daily?"

"Yes, yes! Why do you ask all these silly questions?" Ramu smirked at her, "That's for sure."

"I'll come back to you," he said, "I promise you if it's the last thing I do I will come back to you. "

"I'll count the minutes until you do," Gauri said with a weak smile on her face.

Once out of the restaurant they headed straight away to a mobile shop to get a sim card for Ramu. He bought the sim card by submitting a copy of his election id card. It was 8pm by then and time to rush back home for Gauri.

"I want to make time stand still when I'm with you, but time always finds a way to fly past," Gauri said in a sad tone.

"And you know what? The way I look every time you say goodbye makes it so hard for me to walk away from you," Ramu replied holding her hand firmly.

"Your eyes are so expressive and beautiful; I can't help but get lost in them. I think God was high, when he created you because there is no one else who comes close to perfection," Ramu said cupping her face with both his hands.

Hearing this Gauri was elated as if she had been woken up to a new reality. She gazed at him alluringly and grinned. No further words were necessary. She blushed and the aura she developed was owing to the consciousness of Ramus attentions. Finally, bidding a memorable bye they both left on different cycle rickshaws to their destinations.

The whole night Ramu couldn't sleep. He kept on tossing and turning in bed, thus disturbing Kishan with whom he used to share the bed with. Finally at 7am Kishan called out to him, "Hey Ramu, get up and what was the matter with you the whole night? Neither did you sleep and nor did you let me. Is everything okay with you?"

"Oh! Yes Kishan maybe because I slept in the afternoon for four hours," Ramu clearly spoke a trivial lie.

"So, you are going back to Delhi today?" asked Kishan earnestly.

"Yes definitely today, my boss would be waiting anxiously for me," said Ramu lightheartedly.

They had their breakfast together, and then before going to his work Kishan hugged Ramu tightly.

"It had been great pleasure staying with you, and next whenever you visit Lucknow again, do come to me without any hesitation."

"O! Rather I should thank you from the bottom of my heart for your hospitality and you too, whenever you visit Delhi do come and stay with us," Ramu said in a playful mood.

Kishan hugged him again lovingly and reminding him to leave the key of the room with the next door neighbor.

As soon as Kishan left, Ramu opened his wallet and took out the crumpled piece of paper which had Gauri's mobile number. He took out the mobile handset from the pocket of his trouser which was still hanging on a peg. With trembling hands he dialed Gauri's number. Within a few seconds Gauri picked up the phone and was surprised to hear Ramu's excited voice.

"Hey Gauri, what have you done to me? When I close my eyes I see you, when I open my eyes I see you. There's nothing I can do without thinking of you. I love you, as I have never loved another or will ever love again. I love you with all that I am and all that I will ever be. I never planned to have you on my mind this often."

Gauri started laughing on the phone without a word to say.

"Are you listening?" Ramu asked complainingly.

"Oh yes I am," Gauri whispered back, "Will talk to you once we are back to our home town, bye for now. My uncle is looking at me from a distance," she said in a hushed up tone pressing the disconnect button.

For Ramu, the whole of that day passed, just lying on the bed trying to get some sleep, but couldn't, for the fear if that if he snoozes off to sleep he might miss reaching the railway station by 7pm as the train was scheduled to leave for Delhi at 8pm and he had to buy an open ticket and also look for a seat for himself in one of the coaches which are normally crowded.

Finally at 5.30pm he got up, hurriedly, changed to a more comfortable and loose pair of trousers for the overnight journey with the mobile phone packed neatly in his trunk. In ten minutes he was downstairs on the street below. He took tea and some biscuits from the tea shop, finished it hurriedly and set himself on an auto rickshaw to the station. There was a long queue at the ticket counter but to his luck, before the train arrived at the platform he had his ticket securely tucked in his wallet. He boarded the Lucknow Express bound for Delhi and fortunately found a window seat for himself jostling through the crowd of onbound travelers.

The train was flagged off on time as he settled down. Just as the train left the next major station, Ramu felt an urge to go to the toilet to relieve himself from the gaseous pressure in his stomach which was troubling him since noon. In the toilet as he tried to remove his trousers he watched in horror his wallet falling through the toilet outlet down on the railway tracks. In panic, since all his money and the train ticket were inside the wallet, he pulled the emergency chain inside the toilet. The chain just came off in his hand. Hurriedly, he came out and pulled the first chain he saw. This time the train screeched to a halt, after maybe five hundred more meters.

He faced a barrage of questions from passengers and other officials who jumped out off the stationary train along with him. Of course, there was no chance of recovering his wallet for the train had travelled atleast two kilometers from the point of mishap. So, everyone went back to the train and the journey resumed. His co-passengers expressed their sympathies and consoled him. The train ticket examiner (TTE), a stern, no nonsense person came over to find out about the incident and asked him for a ticket again. Ramu informed him, it had been lost along with his wallet. The TTE asked him to take a new ticket since he can't travel without a valid ticket. Ramu, on the verge of tears explained to him that all his money also went down with the wallet and he was just left with a Rs.2/- coin in his shirt pocket. The TTE wasn't willing to listen to his pleas and asked him to get down at the next station.

However, after sometime he came back and asked Ramu to meet the train superintendent who was in the last bogey and get his permission to travel. Ramu walked through various bogies jostling with the crowds and virtually fighting his way through at times to reach the officer and tried to explain the situation to him. But the superintendent flatly refused to give any such permission and also said that the TTE had no business even to send Ramu to him. Dejected, he found his way back to the TTE and explained his predicament.

Finally, TTE agreed to allow Ramu to travel upto Ghaziabad (two stations before Delhi) where he would be handing over charge to another TTE and it was upto the new TTE to allow him to travel ahead. To Ramu's pleasant surprise the TTE offered him Rs.50/- to see him through him the journey. Infact he was even apologetic about not being able to give him more money.

At Ghaziabad, Ramu waited anxiously for the new officer, concerned that he would be evicted from the train. He came, not to evict him but to assure Ramu that he would allow him to travel upto Delhi. Since the previous officer had explained to him his situation and had also requested him to take care of Ramu. The rest of the journey was uneventful and finally Ramu reached Delhi. The new TTE especially took Ramu to the exit gates to watch him leave without any troubles from the ticket checkers at the gate.

Once outside the station, Ramu rushed to the nearest bus stop to catch a bus for Jehangirpuri. After waiting patiently for half an hour the bus arrived and within the next one hour he was standing outside the house where he stayed with his friend Badri. Badri was surprised to see Ramu from the window early in the morning knocking at the door. Swiftly he got up and unlatched, thus inviting him to come in. Once inside, Ramu narrated him about his miseries that he had to undergo in the return journey to Delhi.

"But I'm in lots of gratitude to the TTE who gave me Rs.50/-, so atleast I could reach my destination. I've to return this money as he is staying in the railway quarters near the station itself............and that too very soon," Ramu said seriously.

"Yes, why not, don't worry, we'll go to his place this Sunday only to return him the money and thank him from the bottom of our hearts," Badri replied smiling at him.

"And now, you better take your breakfast and go off to sleep for a couple of hours, as your tired face is showing upon you. You come to the store after lunch as I'll inform the boss of your returned," Badri said.

Ramu after having a light breakfast went off to sleep after a hard days night. In a couple of hours the buzzer of the alarm clock made him jump up from his slumber. It was already 12 o'clock. He laid back in the bed promising himself to get up after another fifteen minutes. And those fifteen minutes passed so soon that ultimately he had to get up, stretching his body to loosen the sluggishness which was holding him tight all over. In another one hour he was all set to go back to his work and while going he didn't forget to pick up the diary in which he had bagged the orders from different outlets in Lucknow.

The moment he entered the store, each one of the staff was happy to see him. After shaking hands with everyone he entered the boss's cabin.

"So, how was your trip? Hope you've done a good business over there," said the boss, giving him a welcome smile.

Immediately taking the order diary out of his pocket he kept it in front of the boss. The boss after viewing it carefully seemed quite pleased and satisfied with the work done by Ramu. Suddenly he stood up, patted the back of Ramu with appreciation, "Good job!!!" murmured he, which was quite audible. Ramu gave an impish smile in return.

"Once when these orders are executed and the payments made by the firms, I'll see to it that you receive a fat pay package including the commissions as promised by me," the boss made it loud and clear to him.

"Thank you Sahib," mumbled Ramu in return.

"Sahib, can I go back home, for more rest as am feeling too indolent to work today," Ramu requested, and narrating the harrowing experience of the journey he had the last evening.

"Yes, yes you better go home today. And see you tomorrow then," replied the boss.

Ramu came out of the cabin, met Badri and told him that he was going back home with the die permission of the boss. Once, back home and after changing his clothes, he lay down on the bed waiting for sleep to take over, and then suddenly he remembered Gauri. He took out the phone from his trunk and dialed her number. At the first ring, Gauri picked up the call and they chatted for half an hour which included the apathy of his train journey back home.

There after, he dozed off to sleep only to wake up in the evening. Waking up, he made himself a cup of tea and took some atta biscuits which he had bought from Chandni Chowk where Badri and he had gone out to spend another of their holiday. He kept sitting on the bedside thinking of Gauri and ultimately he couldn't resist calling her up again. He found her phone engaged but in the second attempt he got through.

"Hey!!!! I'm coming back tomorrow," all of a sudden Gauri spoke loud in joy, "and we'll be meeting more frequently now."

"Wow!!" Ramu too spoke excitedly. "But we'll be meeting only on Sundays when I have an off from m y work."

"No problem! Atleast we'll be meeting now," Gauri too was excited.

They talked with each other for nearly twenty minutes and suddenly Ramu had to cut their talk short as he heard the creaking sound of the door being opened by someone. It was Badri and he had already seen the phone in Ramus hand which he was trying to conceal in his shirt pocket.

"Hey! What are you trying to hide from me and with whom were you talking to so excitedly? I could hear your voice from the closed door itself," Badri enquired.

"Oh! It's nothing," stammered Ramu in a jiffy.

Immediately Badri caught the hand of Ramu with the mobile intact in it.

"And what is this then? You are trying to hide things from your friend now?" Badri said showing his annoyance.

"No, no, please don't get angry. I'll explain everything to you, but you'll have to promise to keep the things to yourself only," Ramu blurted out feeling ashamed.

"Don't you worry! We are brothers," Badri murmured assuring him.

Ramu confided each and every incident of Lucknow to Badri.

"Don't you think you are on the wrong track? You are already a married guy and a father of a small daughter. What will happen if your wife and mother come to know about your affair? I'll sincerely advise you to come out of it and please don't spoil the life of your wife and child who is too young to understand anything," Badri said trying to make Ramu understand.

But since, love is blind and can't see anything beyond his/her lover/beloved. Ramu just gave a silly smile to Badri.

"I'll manage it," Ramu spoke up being adamant on his affair.

"It's all upto you now, but a friendly advice, don't neglect your work because of all these extramarital affairs," Badri again tried to make him understand.

"Don't you worry and from now, I'm sorry to say that I won't be able spend our Sundays together. Gauri stays in Noida and most probably on Sundays we'll be together," Ramu became astringent speaking to Badri in a croaking tone.

Badri kept quiet. They had their food together, not speaking a word to each other and went to sleep after an hour.