Good Byes!

It was late in afternoon and the railway station was flocked with people boarding and departing their trains.

"Thank God" he screamed. We are on time.
"Come on now, run!!,we need to get to the coach as soon as possible".

For past 2 hours we were trying against all odds to reach the Central station and board the Mail.

He went ahead of me with the luggage. It was hard trying to keep up with him. As I tried to run behind him, I knew something was not right. There was an uneasiness in my body and my mind.

Finally when I reached "Coach S6 of Mail" he had already found the seat and placed the luggage. He was jumping out of the door while I stood there grumbling. He smirked and asked me "This is walking fast?? Who taught you to walk ?? ".

"Arrggghh…How I hate those questions”. But yet, I only smile and say…"You...moron"

He tells me its hot inside the coach and since its near to the toilet it would be better to board just when the train just starts to chug out of the platform.We find a seat in the nearby bench .There was some 15 more minutes to board the train.

We settle ourselves and then he asks me "Where are the tickets and what about the id documents ?" to which I reply lazily…"Hmm…Its all there with me safe".

I just check around. A lot of different people. I was watching them, the people. A lot of different emotions. Extremes to be precise!! Goodbyes and Best wishes.Tears and Laughter's.Crying babies.Sagging old people. Add those colorful pilgrims and the red shirted porters to the list. The beggars. Most of them who want to reach to their near ones. Its like everyone had a story to tell. I was grinning at the thought of the director who writes all our stories. How busy he might be!!..

While I was thinking all these he suddenly rises and tells me that he is going to get something to snack while in train. As an automated response without even looking at him I tell to get a bottle of water also. He moved away to the nearby kiosk.

The uneasiness came up once again. Yeah, I understood that it came up every while he was away. The thought made me chuckle.

"My feelings ... thoughts...everything was out of the blue. In my heart I knew, I never wanted this to happen. I did not want to  board the train.I wanted to stay back…here…with him..but...Of all the choices I have, I chose this.

Every single day in our life,we have an umpteen number of choices to make.Thinking about choices and enormity,we always had this luxury of someone else deciding from the choices for us. But then this happens,that we are left alone to choose wisely. All cards are laid open before us, we only have to choose. But though we make our decision,I believe it was actually already chosen for us. We, in fact only are reading out the choice made for us,thus making ourself aware of the choice to move forward in life."

I wake up from my day dreams when the first whistle is blown,15 minutes was never so faster before.

I move toward the hot, steaming train which is ferrying thousands of people everyday ,I message him "I m going in…okay ?"Yeah, you go ahead" Came his reply.

I wait for him in at the coach entrance. As soon as I spot him in the crowd, I saw it.

" A glinting tear in his eyes...".

I swear I saw that!!

And when he reaches beside me and hands me the water bottle and my favorite chocolates he says, "I cannot stay back, Something came up. Its urgent". Not waiting for my reply he walks away.

I was hoping that he may turn around...may be he will wave back at me!!.My heart was aching, churning the uneasiness, just like the initial inertial pull of the train. I just wanted to jump out of the coach, run to him, hold him tight and tell him how much I love him. But before I could even move a muscle, I could see him growing smaller. The distances were growing and finally he disappeared.

It then hit me, "We were parting our ways".

His way of good bye, I felt it was the perfect good bye.

Nothing said, No tears shed, No eyes met, No good byes waved.

The one thing which I dreaded, I now knew he too were.

The Goodbyes.

I  wish him silently, "Good Bye and God Bless".

P.S : This story is inspired from a scene which unfold right infront of me while,I was boarding my train to home! The lady in this story was in deep thoughts,with occasional sighs! throughout the journey.I sometimes wonder is it what I thought,it was ;)