The Unexpected Humsafar

At the sound of the horn and the flutter of the flag, she sank back into her seat, and with a sigh, braced herself for the 14 hour long, trite and tiring journey. Even if her mother agrees to buy her the latest copy of Tinkle from the bookwallah or her sister promises to not cheat while playing cards, Anamika can never truly relax, nor enjoy the rails. No one knows what irks her – the used bedding, frosty stained windows, smell of feet and sweat, stinking washrooms, weird taps on the wash-basins or the fact that hundreds of strangers are packed into a claustrophobic environment. Sullen, she decided to close her eyes and sleep through the entire journey. The upper berth was her haven, until a certain someone entered her coach – and that changed the course of her journey.

The hustle bustle at every station always managed to wake her up. The holler of the chaiwallahs, squealing sound of the announcements, loud goodbyes, squeaky wheels of the bags, babies crying, children shouting – waking up to this every hour would annoy the life out of any teenage child, and Anamika was no different. But what happened differently this time was his entry. The moment he entered the coach, she held her breath. This was the first time she saw someone so beautiful and handsome. His deep blue eyes and thick black hair mesmerized her. She sat up to take a nice good long look at him. His face was perfectly symmetrical and the cute nose accentuated its features. She was bewitched by the effect that a gentle breeze had on his hair. He looked around for a while, and then straight up at her. They locked eyes, and held that for a while. For her, it seemed as if time froze, as if all her life was a build up for this moment. She knew immediately that she was in love.

He continued looking up at her - with twinkle in his eyes and love in hers – and then he looked away, completely oblivious to her feelings for him. She decided to go up to him and meet him. Descending with hope in her heart, she sat by the window, just opposite him. He looked at her once more, she smiled and held out her hand for a handshake. Without giving it a second thought he reached out for her hand. Slowly she bent down towards him, close to his face, smiling. Immediately, he licked her face. “Aaaah! Sheru likes you!” said his mother on whose lap sat the two year old male Labrador.

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