Turn the page

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.