It was a normal March evening, humid and hot. Almost ten-o-clock as I walked to the exit of the office building. I was sure that the last bus for the station would have left and so I looked around hoping my luck, for once, would surprise me. As i stood there on that lonely bus stop for the umpteenth time since i started work at my new office, a sense of morose took over me. I was a young, energetic, attractive girl who wished to achieve great strides in life, but while others my age were enjoying a social life of sorts i was here at this lonely bus stop waiting for a bus I knew wouldn't come. I couldn't believe how life had turned the tables at me. After a beautiful metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly through my college years, the world seemed like a beautiful place where i was ready to spread my wings and fly into. What the joy of sucking nectar is to a butterfly, getting a job was to me. But now an year later, all that seemed like an illusion. An illusion that the corporate world makes which make them seem more tempting to the young youth, fresh with enthusiasm ready to take up challenges head on. As all these thoughts flooded my mind, my phones ring brought me back to reality. I realised it was late and the dreaded bus was never going to come, i starting walking towards the station. As I walked slowly, the street lights began to get dimmer. At a distance I could see the lights of the monstrous building of the corporate houses fade out. All through my childhood i never enjoyed watching lights of massive buildings fade out. Those tall buildings always portrayed a sense of power and authority , and for me the lights fading out challenged exactly that.
The worst part about leaving office late was not just unavailability of transport but also a particular long stretch of road i disliked. I won't call it isolated but it sure wasn't the place I wanted to be around in the dead of the night. As i reached that long stretch of road, fear gripped me. I pulled out my phone and punched in my dad's number, just in case i needed help in the dead of the night. And even though my dad practically lived in another city, I knew he'd pull down anything that came in his way to reach me. With that sorted I looked at this long stretch of road. All sorts of weird thoughts flooded my mind. "Why did you have to stay back so late you idiot?" I thought to myself. I had to do it. I didn't have a choice. I turned back one more time to see if there were any passing vehicles much to my dismay.
For some very odd reason this street did seem pretty isolated today. I clutched tighter onto my bag and braved my way through. As I walked, keeping my fingers crossed and chanting prayers in my head, I heard a sound from a distance. I couldn't really figure out what the sound was but my optimistic self wanted to believe it was a vehicle. In less than a minute I could see a faint light in a circular shape. It kept getting brighter till finally I could see a motorcycle. It definitely had a problem with its silencer because it was unusually loud. At that moment i could really whack the driver for scaring the life out of me.
I walked on. The night was getting darker and there was a chill in the air. The tree branches gave me a spooky feeling against the dark sky. I tried to hurry my way through. Today my feet were unable to carry my weight. My efficient handbag seemed like a burden and i felt myself crushing under the responsibilities that lay on me in terms of family and office. Today everything seemed worthless. I had a bad feeling and nothing seemed right. This was one of those days in the year when reality dawned upon me. I realised that my life wasn't a bed of roses as i had thought. My walk continued . Suddenly i stopped. I heard loud music. Who would be playing music in the dead of the night in the middle of the road? I was so scared at that point that even turning around to look seemed like an impossible task. I walked as fast as I could. The music was getting louder and more significant and I knew it was closing in on me. Maybe they were a bunch of rowdies? Which decent person plays music for the world to hear? Panic overtook me. My mind shut down and i couldn't think of what to do. The only thing that seemed right to do then was RUN. Run for my dear life. I did not know who was behind me and I did not wish to know either. I just ran, like a lady who was possessed. My heels broke under the pressure and I fell to the ground with a thud. In the frenzy to run and save myself , the voice chasing me had faded into the background but when I fell, it all came back again. I knew they were closing in on me. I just crouched close to the ground. I retrieved the pepper spray from my bag and was ready for anybody that came close to me. As I lay there motionless, the sound of a vehicle stopping reached my ears. I heard men whispering. What were they going to do to me? Suddenly one of them asked, " Madam are you okay?" "Is she alive?" gasped another. Assured that these were just a bunch of silly boys out into the night, I attempted to stand up. The boys looked pretty relieved to see me alive. "We thought you were hit", said one of them. "Oh no, i was just resting" I blurted out. Resting? Really? What's wrong with me? The boys gave me a quizzical look which was understandable.
I asked if they could drop me off at the station and they were more than pleased to do that. I hopped in and we sped away. As I rolled down the window, the cold wind touched my face. These "enemies" as i thought of them earlier were god sent friends to me in desperate times. They were my accidental friends. " You're lucky, you got saved from the accident that happened on the main road" said one of the boys. "What accident?" I enquired. They narrated to me how a loaded trolley who had a drunk driver inside, hit a row of cars tossing them one on top of the other. The intensity of the hit was so huge that authorities feared a number of casualties. Chances of survival seemed poor. The boy further added that all this happened around 8pm. I was definitely shocked to hear that. One obviously because of the seriousness of the situation and second because I had missed this life threatening occurrence by a matter of few hours. Had I left earlier, I would have been stuck up at the main road, which is generally crowded around that time, and chances of me being in the accident was actually very high unless lord almighty had other plans. I couldn't believe how I had yet again disregarded what I had, for something I did not. I was cursing my life sometime back, and here are people of the accident fighting for life. I had forgotten that everything in life happened for a reason, and today I was stuck up with work because it was God's way of telling me that I have some great strides to achieve still and I must hang on and must keep patience. As I thought of all this, a tear trickled down my cheek.
The one important lesson I learnt was that One must not get their hopes up too fast and not let their fears speak too loud. One should not give their doubts too much time. Everything in life happens for a reason and one must be confident of oneself. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing for something we don't have. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when we accept everything we are- and aren't-that we will truly succeed..
The boys dropped me off at the station and I waved them goodbye as i hopped off. I checked for the next train to my destination and started walking towards the platform. I felt better than I was earlier and a small smile lit up my dull face. I was happy. I waited for the train as I sipped on some coffee. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a beggar girl, dressed in rags standing there, with her hands outstretched. She looked like she hadn't eaten in days and her face looked pale. I felt bad for her and so I took her with me to the tiny eatery on the platform and bought her a mini meal and left her there, to eat in peace. As i turned my back to walk back to the benches to sit, I heard a loud cry like someone was hit. The little girl was on the ground, her elbow bruised because of the fall and a boy, a little older than her, took all her money( whatever little she had) the food and ran away. The girl was inconsolable. I offered to buy her another meal but she refused. I couldn't give her cash because I knew it wouldn't stay with her and someone would take it away. She said, "I was saving to go to school. I am very poor and I want to do something for myself. I know that is possible only through education but now all is lost. She went on to tell me that she sold garlands at traffic signals during the wee hours of the morning to earn extra cash. She said her parents had as good as disowned her and she was all by herself now. " My heart reached out to this little girl. Here was a girl who was crying to be educated. I had to do something for her. The best thing that had happened after working one year at a corporate set up was that I had enough connections in every field to last me a lifetime. I called a few numbers and the decision was made. This girl was going to a government school, where her education would be funded by a charity which would also take care of her other needs. She would be educated for as long as she wished to study.
I made the girl understand that her life was going to change and it was for her better. I told her that she would be undergoing psychiatric sessions to make sure she was not living under any trauma. The only question she asked me was "why?". I didn't know it myself. I didn't know why I had done it for her. I didn't know why she had even caught my eye in the first place. Maybe I was her "Accidental friend cum help" like those boys were to me. They helped me in my desperate time and I helped her in hers. It's a cycle called life I suppose. The train honked into the platform and as I stood up to board the train, a tiny hand held onto mine. It was a memory made in that station which will stay with me forever.