I saw her sitting on the berth, in front of me, and reading a novel- Five point someone. I was looking at her and it might be for the first time that I looked at a girl for that long. Maybe five minutes passed by. While she was reading I could measure how much engrossed she was in it. Intermittently, she used to smile then suddenly her expressions used to change to a very serious one. While she was lost in the book, I was lost on her face. Her look was enthralling. Unintentionally, I uttered-WOW!!! She looked at me. Damn! Idiot! I was loud. I felt like dead. I moved my eyes, away from her, towards the fan. I didn't know what to do. I was caught. I wished she didn't see me staring at her. She didn't say anything to me and went back to reading. Maybe she didn't want to lose her interest in reading and spoil her mood in talking with me. 30 minutes passed by and I didn't dare to move my eyes away from the fan. If anybody have seen me looking at the fan for past 30 minutes, he would have imagined me crazy. I didn't know about others but she would have. She knew that I had been continuously watching the fan for past half an hour. Then I, somehow, gathered to look at her again. This time with an extra care. Later, I got involved in other things. This time,as she told me later, she knew that I was looking at her, but she didn't want to scare me again and make myself appear funny. Instead she continued reading.
When the time came to sleep, I prepared my berth. It was the upper most. Hers as well. She was still reading. She kept the lights on. I tried to sleep under them, but could not dared to ask her to switch them off. Instead, I covered my eyes with my arms; the most uncomfortable position for me to sleep. I tried, maybe, for 15 minutes, but to no avail. This time I thought that I have paid the same fare for the journey as her. I could definitely ask her to switch the lights off. If she wanted to read she can read in the morning, but now it is sleeping hours and the lights should be off. So I finally spoke. "Excuse me. I want to sleep. Can you stop reading now so that I could switch the lights off. I cannot sleep under this light." She gave me an annoying look. I felt like I did something very wrong. I felt like a criminal. "Leave it. I 'll try to sleep." I turned my back towards her and went back to my attempts to sleep. This time I slept off. Maybe because I had no choice. My mind accepted it.
I woke up. It was 5 o' clock in the morning but it was still dark and cold outside. I heard in news about the weather of Delhi in January. This was the first time I was going to experience it. I packed my stuffs into my bag. I climbed down and looked outside the window. I saw nothing but dense fog. I had no idea about my location. But by looking at the activities of the people around me I figured out that the next stop was New Delhi. Then I remembered about the girl I saw last night. I looked at her on her upper birth. Still sleeping, but with the book. "Should I wake her up? What if she is still annoyed at me? New Delhi is the last stop. She is anyhow going to rise. If not I then TTE will definitely wake her up. But then she will be in hurry to leave the train." I spoke to myself. " Excuse me. Madam, Delhi is here. Get up." She got up. Looked around her as if she had no idea how she got into this train. It took her some time to realize everything. "We are going to reach New Delhi in few minutes. You should pack your bags." She sat up. Firstly, she kept her precious book into her bag. Then, combed her unkempt hair, packed her other things, climbed down and then made few unsuccessful attempts to pull her bag down. I offered help but she refused and continued her struggle. Finally, she looked at me and then I somehow tried not to smile and asked her to move aside. Man!!! It was really heavy. Even for me. I wonder how she got it up there. I carried it to the door, kept it down there and turned back only to find her standing behind me. "Thank You." "Anytime." I went back to bring my bag.
Train moved into New Delhi railway station. I climbed down. I saw her struggling again at the door, blocking the passage for others. I went to her and helped her again. "Thank you." "You don't have to thank me every time." I gave her a smile. She replied with a frown. "Where are you going?", I asked. "I have to catch a bus to Solan from Kashmere Gate." "I too have to catch a bus to Roorkee from there. Come with me." I carried her bag on my back without asking her. But she didn't say anything. She knew that she would not be able to carry it to Ajmeri Gate. We reached outside. A deluge of taxi drivers flooded us. I asked her whether she would mind coming with me. She refused at first. But when I told her that it's not safe for a girl to travel in this dark and we could also share the fare between us, she agreed. I asked one auto-rickshaw fellow. "Rs.120/-." Is he out of his mind? "I'll pay Rs.50/-." I was bargaining. "It's fine. Pay him", she said. "Let me handle this. These people, if possible, can even ask for a million." Then I went back to the bargaining. Finally, I won. I looked at her and smiled with a sense of satisfaction. She looked at the other side.
We reached Kashmere Gate. Her bus was after half an hour. We sat on the bench. I saw her shivering in the cold. I was shivering too. I went for a cup of tea. Brought one for her. "How much does it cost?" "On the house." "No thanks.Tell me, how much." "Rs.6" "Didn't you bargain this time?" "No. Actually, a cup costs Rs.3, but if you are willing to pay then why not mine." She gave me another angry look. I thought to change the subject.
"Did you finish the book?"
"No. I fell asleep within 5 minutes."
"For that 5 minutes you scared the hell out of me."
"Shut up."
"Okay. By the way I am Ankur from IIT-Roorkee. Metallurgical n' Material engineering."
When the time came to sleep, I prepared my berth. It was the upper most. Hers as well. She was still reading. She kept the lights on. I tried to sleep under them, but could not dared to ask her to switch them off. Instead, I covered my eyes with my arms; the most uncomfortable position for me to sleep. I tried, maybe, for 15 minutes, but to no avail. This time I thought that I have paid the same fare for the journey as her. I could definitely ask her to switch the lights off. If she wanted to read she can read in the morning, but now it is sleeping hours and the lights should be off. So I finally spoke. "Excuse me. I want to sleep. Can you stop reading now so that I could switch the lights off. I cannot sleep under this light." She gave me an annoying look. I felt like I did something very wrong. I felt like a criminal. "Leave it. I 'll try to sleep." I turned my back towards her and went back to my attempts to sleep. This time I slept off. Maybe because I had no choice. My mind accepted it.
I woke up. It was 5 o' clock in the morning but it was still dark and cold outside. I heard in news about the weather of Delhi in January. This was the first time I was going to experience it. I packed my stuffs into my bag. I climbed down and looked outside the window. I saw nothing but dense fog. I had no idea about my location. But by looking at the activities of the people around me I figured out that the next stop was New Delhi. Then I remembered about the girl I saw last night. I looked at her on her upper birth. Still sleeping, but with the book. "Should I wake her up? What if she is still annoyed at me? New Delhi is the last stop. She is anyhow going to rise. If not I then TTE will definitely wake her up. But then she will be in hurry to leave the train." I spoke to myself. " Excuse me. Madam, Delhi is here. Get up." She got up. Looked around her as if she had no idea how she got into this train. It took her some time to realize everything. "We are going to reach New Delhi in few minutes. You should pack your bags." She sat up. Firstly, she kept her precious book into her bag. Then, combed her unkempt hair, packed her other things, climbed down and then made few unsuccessful attempts to pull her bag down. I offered help but she refused and continued her struggle. Finally, she looked at me and then I somehow tried not to smile and asked her to move aside. Man!!! It was really heavy. Even for me. I wonder how she got it up there. I carried it to the door, kept it down there and turned back only to find her standing behind me. "Thank You." "Anytime." I went back to bring my bag.
Train moved into New Delhi railway station. I climbed down. I saw her struggling again at the door, blocking the passage for others. I went to her and helped her again. "Thank you." "You don't have to thank me every time." I gave her a smile. She replied with a frown. "Where are you going?", I asked. "I have to catch a bus to Solan from Kashmere Gate." "I too have to catch a bus to Roorkee from there. Come with me." I carried her bag on my back without asking her. But she didn't say anything. She knew that she would not be able to carry it to Ajmeri Gate. We reached outside. A deluge of taxi drivers flooded us. I asked her whether she would mind coming with me. She refused at first. But when I told her that it's not safe for a girl to travel in this dark and we could also share the fare between us, she agreed. I asked one auto-rickshaw fellow. "Rs.120/-." Is he out of his mind? "I'll pay Rs.50/-." I was bargaining. "It's fine. Pay him", she said. "Let me handle this. These people, if possible, can even ask for a million." Then I went back to the bargaining. Finally, I won. I looked at her and smiled with a sense of satisfaction. She looked at the other side.
We reached Kashmere Gate. Her bus was after half an hour. We sat on the bench. I saw her shivering in the cold. I was shivering too. I went for a cup of tea. Brought one for her. "How much does it cost?" "On the house." "No thanks.Tell me, how much." "Rs.6" "Didn't you bargain this time?" "No. Actually, a cup costs Rs.3, but if you are willing to pay then why not mine." She gave me another angry look. I thought to change the subject.
"Did you finish the book?"
"No. I fell asleep within 5 minutes."
"For that 5 minutes you scared the hell out of me."
"Shut up."
"Okay. By the way I am Ankur from IIT-Roorkee. Metallurgical n' Material engineering."
"Once I talked to a guy, on internet through mails, from the same branch. 1st year. His name was Ankur Himanshu. Do you know him?"
"Of course. That's me. Do I really know you?"
"I am not lying. My name is Ankita."
"Ohh....I remember. Wow!!! What a coincidence!!!"
"That was you. I can't believe it."
"Yes. And I remember how insolent you were through in your mails. But, you don't appear that stubborn as you were then. You are a bit but not what I supposed. I was really mad at the ways you replied my mails."
"Actually, I don't talk much to girls. So, you can say that I have no etiquettes. But, I never tried to be insolent. I just don't know how to talk. By the way can I have your number?"
"No."
"Why?"
"We know each other but I am not much acquainted to you so I can't simply give you my number."
"Okay. You can have mine." I wrote my number on a piece of paper and handed it over to her. She crumbled it in her fist. She looked at me as if asking-"Did I ask for yours?"
"That's my number. Show some respect to it."
She couldn't stopped smiling at my remark. That smile. It was marvellous. The most beautiful among all the creations of the god. I smiled back. Now I was again looking at her, without moving away my eyes. She had something which grabbed so much attention from me. I don't remember how time passed. Not even I remember what we talked. The only thing that I do remember is that smile.
Then her bus came. She boarded it. I went and stood near her seat. She said, "Thanks for your help. "
Bus started to move. I wanted to say something for the last time. I didn't know whether she would call me or not. I didn't want this to be my first and last time. I uttered. "Please, call me." She smiled. Again. "Bye. Happy journey." "You too." And then her bus left. I boarded a bus to Roorkee and slept off again. What I had in my mind- THE SMILE.
