Her train scheduled to depart at
nine and it was already quarter past eight. Rushing towards the train and
running to find her bogie no 25 amidst the commotion of other passengers who
were trying to find theirs, she finally found hers. She saw someone lending her
a helping hand and quickly adjusted her luggage. She sat, breathed deeply
settling her nerves and that moment she saw the boy who helped her. Dusky, dark
black hair, dark troubled beautiful eyes. Troubled, yes as if they were in search
of something. And those eyes cogent revealing met hers. He looked my age or God
knows younger or older but he couldn’t be much older, she thought. Nevertheless,
she opened her book and couldn’t wait to finish one of her hopeless romantic
novel.
While reading and smiling all by
herself, she happened to look at him and saw him smiling back at her. His eyes
warm, with a soft range of colors staring at her, and she thought yes she was
right about his troubled dark eyes. She ignored and finished reading at about
twelve at night. She kept the book on the small table between the two berths.
With eyes closed, trying to enjoy the sound of the train, she heard him say
‘Can I read your book’? She looked and paused. He again asked in his warm
comforting voice ‘I mean it’s okay if you’. Before he could complete she said
okay. He smiled vaguely at eyes that slowly turned away and stared out of the
window as the train swayed from side to side through the tunnel of lights and
green. Neither of them said anything and she closed her eyes only to wake up in
the morning when her station came .She rushed out and waved him good bye and
noticed those troubled eyes were red. Looked like he didn’t catch any sleep. As
the whistle blew for the train to leave, he helped her with the luggage and
handed over the book to her. He watched her as the platform slipped away. And
so did she. There was something about the last look that he gave, that she knew
wouldn’t be the last.
After weeks, remembering and
thinking about the train, she looked at the book, opened it and to her
surprise, saw something written in red. A handwriting so neat, so striking that
one would get jealous of and it read ‘Would you like to play a game J ‘? If yes, turn to
page 10. There were sentences underlined from the romantic love story and some
written in red ink. Red Ink, the color of love, she thought.
Anxiously turning to page 10:
There is this girl I saw just now, whose smile reminds me of flowers and who
wears that shyness on her face that one cannot help but fall in love with
instantly. That innocence on her face that exudes simplicity. To know more turn
to page 22.
With racing heart, she turned to
page 22: ‘Her smile is something to die for, something I would never get rid
of. Those dark smoldering eyes that I would remember for life.’
Want to know more, turn to page
50: ‘I wish this journey would never end. These moments would remain with me
for lifetime. Turn to last page
Last page: ‘That boy you met in
the train. Fell in love with you’….
And her heart skipped a beat. Down
below on the last page it again said turn to page 75 and it had lines from
novel underlined in red.
‘But how will I get in touch with you?’
Don’t you worry,’ I will find you’.
Her eyes glazed over that
handwriting with a little ache settled in her heart and she was surprised by
how much she hoped he would. She smiled, hoped and waited to turn the page of
her life.
