“I don’t want to go places with her, I don’t want to even
touch her...I just want to see her once...”He prayed, sitting devastated on a
bench. But the world around him was the same. People waited for their loved
ones, met them after minutes, boarded taxis. It didn’t matter to anyone that
this young boy had lost so much.
There was no other way to go except going back to that
hotel. The room he had left was still vacant and unclean. It seemed as if this
big change had taken only seconds to change whole life of Mannu. He occupied it again
and lay down just to cry. The golden
glow of the sunlight evanesced to pave way for the silvery moon. He still couldn’t believe that why Pia had done so?Coming
out with no answer he called Anushka.
“Hii Anushka...It’s me Mannu...”
“Hii...how’s you??Did you see Pia??”
“No...She told me the coach was numbered 12. I didn’t see it
anywhere...”Mannu talked, looking up above the dark skies.
“Yaaa...She told me that in the half way it changed to coach
number 5.”Anushka replied in a disinterested way.
“What? How could it be? And why didn’t she tell
me...??”Mannu asked, anxious to get all his answers.
“Her mummy had the cell phone...”She replied hastily.
“But why didn’t you tell me?”Mannu asked Anushka. The level
of heat in his blood was soaring.
“I never want Pia to meet or even talk to a boy like you.
Did you get it Mr. Mannu??”Anushka said, again in a voice that killed her
sobriety. Mannu sighed, closed his eyes and cried.
“Can she tal...”He choked.
“Can she talk to me now?”Mannu asked her.
“No...She has her complete family around her...How silly you
are...”Anuskha replied being as blunt as a girl could be. The lover within
Mannu patiently listened to every word of insult.
“Ok...thanx..Good night...”Mannu spoke and he heard a beep
tone without a reply.
His pain was bigger than the happiness of the whole city. It
was 10:00 at night and all he had eaten was a couple of aspirins to kill the
headache. The room had been vacated. Night had to be passed at a safe hideout.
The bigger fear was to lose the luggage. In a tormented state of mind he again
took a room in the same hotel. They
charged him double. He paid without a thought.
After this insulting talk with Anushka it was clear that Pia was nowhere
to be blamed for all that happened. Mannu could now sense the heaviness Pia’s
heart was bearing and that too all alone. They were separated it seemed by
miles. Mannu was nowhere to love her, calm her down, even thought the phone.
They were like strangers in the same city.
It was the next morning. The watch showed 10:00am. Mannu was wide awake,
but he didn’t want to open his swollen eyes. The eyeballs had turned red and
the sunlight that entered the room from the broken window created an itching in
them. His heart was heavy and so was his breath. He was all alone till the
phone beeped. Mannu quickly disguised his voice, his feelings and picked it up.
“Hello mummy...”
“Hello beta,How
are you and when are you coming home??”
“Tomorrow...The train will leave today at 15:30hrs...”Mannu
replied removing the receiver of the phone that lay besides the bed.
“Ok...we all are waiting for you...”
“I know...I miss you all too...”He replied, killing every
feeling that blocked his voice. Suddenly, the door bell rang. It was the room
service.
“What’s that bell Mannu?”Mrs. K questioned straight away.
“No...Nothing mummy...We’re just watching a movie...nothing
else...”said Mannu laying flat on the bed and while saying this lie, all the
symptoms of drowsiness vanished and he quickly got up.
“Ok bye...Come home soon and be safe...”
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