Girl from 4th Grade

   Three Years back...


 The train whistles and slowly moves out of the station...the rush & hush in the platform is slowly vanishing… I was lucky to get the window seat to enjoy this beautiful early morning sky. The cool early morning breeze was touching my strands of hair. It was so soothing to see the vibrant colored sky and the rising sun through the morning mist. The train moved through the lush green paddy fields and I always cherish to see such a view where the mist floats above this green life...

 Train is gaining pace and people are busy either  glancing the newspapers or with their mobile phones. Few enjoying music and many chatting with a morning coffee. Old man who sits beside me has already started sleeping, he looks tired and I noticed the heavy luggage he carried. Poor man, I whispered…

Slowly my eyes started searching for some known faces but as usual in vain. Its quite boring sometimes if you are alone travelling and to add to your woes you don’t have a book or a music player.  It was so fortunate that I saw a book stall when the train stopped at the next station. 

I managed to get a book from the stall and got in before the whistle blew. I saw a girl sitting in my place, the first thing I confirmed was whether it was the right coach or not. All looked fine, may be my co-passenger! I was happy that I got one in my age group.By the time I sat, the train whistled and started the journey. 

Now there is no morning mist, no cool breeze, everything vanished into thin air… The sun has made the train a hot furnace and the air blowing through the windows is too hot and made everyone uncomfortable and tired… I was at the peak of  boredom and the magazine which I bought is full of politics. I slowly turned towards the girl ,sitting very close to me. All I could see is the book, the locks covering her face and the beautiful blue & green stoned ear-rings... She is busy reading a novel, I peeked into the book – it is Nicholas Spark’s “A walk to remember”. 

I was recollecting the scenes of the film “Walk to remember” and lightly peeking into her book. I was thinking how good that book would be to make her completely concentrate on it and not even see this handsome guy sitting next to her! How insane these girls behave sometimes? I have heard that girls know to hide their feelings than the boys, is that true? When we wish to get a glance of them, they never see and when we are around with our family in a journey we find them looking at us & making us feel the most awkward guy in the world.

Excuse me!!! She called me and I saw her with a surprising look. She had a beautiful smile and was offering me an apple. I didn't dare to refuse since I was already hungry. I took the apple with a smile and thanked. There was a big silence for a while and I still haven’t had that apple. I was just rolling it in my hand...

I broke the silence by saying that “Hope you didn't drugged it?” 

She stared and grabbed the apple from my hand and bit one small portion, she said “You see whether I am drowsy or getting fainted & then eat”. I couldn't stop my laugh when she acted like she is drugged after eating the apple… After few minutes she said ‘Is it fine for you to eat this now?’  I ate it within no time and was literally exclaimed by the way we both started talking breaking the ice.

She continued with her book and I was gazing outside the window.

 “Have you ever read this book? “...I have seen the movie but not got a chance to read it.

“It’s really a good love story and you must read. Worth to carry it when you are travelling. “..I nodded. 

We become acquainted within no time. Like it is said “The opposite poles attract”, we never bored each other and the time went so fast and talked about many things around us. The books we read, the food we like, the travel experiences and many other things. The sensible talks, laughs we had and the screaming sounds she made when I shared some witty moments I had the day, all that drastically changed the boring journey into an intriguing one.

She was showing me some of the handcrafts she prepared and it proved that she is a talented girl. The train was slowing down and she luckily noticed that it is her destined station. She screamed again, “It’s my station, I would have missed it now”. She grabbed her bag and was managing to put the handicrafts, I helped her to put the same and by that time she grabbed her second bag.

I thought we both are heading to the same station, I told... She snatched one bag from my hand  “did you asked me which place I am heading?”.

I accompanied her to the door and gave her the bag. “It was a good journey I had and you made it wonderful”. I extended my hands and I told “Sunil, that’s my name...” 

She was laughing out loud and told “WTF, I couldn't believe Sunil we talked this long and didn't asked our names” and she closed those beautiful eyes (may be with regret)... Any moment the train may start, but both just looked at each other for few seconds. It was so incomplete …

The Train whistled … and she told “I am Neethu …”

 I saw only her eyes at that moment and that song came to my mind

Empty spaces fill me up with holes
Distant faces with no place left to go
Without you within me I can't find no rest
Where I’m going is anybody’s guess

I tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete…incomplete…. Yes it was so incomplete like the song…

She was waving hands till we couldn't see each other… One last look at her before the trees blocked my view… Out of the blue she came…went somewhere like a flash of light fading through the darkness. It’s the best feeling you can ever have when your day turns out to be a memorable one when you expect it to be a boring one & the worst thing is that you forgot everything talking with the person who made it  wonderful but forget even to ask her name until the last moment…

I came back to my seat and still half an hour to reach my station. I recollected all the talks we had, I realized one thing. We talked about all f*****g things around us but never shared anything about us. How insane both were???

Suddenly her face again stroked my mind, I felt it’s not the first time I am seeing her… I have seen her somewhere, I had this feeling when I saw her the first time today… I was trying hard to relate all those faces which I have seen in this life like a psycho… 

Yes it’s Shikha, the girl from the fourth grade, is it? OMG… I closed my face and cursed myself.

If it was Shikha, it would have been a different day altogether… Shikha, my bench mate from 4^th grade, the tall girl with sharp eyes, long hair, chubby cheeks and who had the most beautiful smile in the class... She was not only a bench mate for me, I knew it was not just a girl from somewhere…We were destined to meet but…

I boarded the bus to my place. All I could see was those sharp eyes, the long hairs and the spotless smile… I closed my eyes and it took me to the 4^th grade, 14 years back to my school...

All still fresh like it happened like the previous day… Me, Shikha, my crush, friends, school everything came to me…

Continues...