“Hey! Young man, listen. Here, this side.” A few people with me turned their head toward him. The train was crowded. The evening Kalyani Local was famous for the crowd that came with it. One could turn some grains into dust by leaving it in the train.
Suman worked in an I.T. company- working with codes and codes. Then returning in this famous train. Only positive though out is finding someone familiar in the train. And it was not uncommon for him to get someone. That person was calling him. Suman realized that it was Priya’s father. The blood in his body turned to water. He suddenly got the urge to pee. As if thet water was going to come out.
“Hey, listen.” He called again.
Suman went to him breaking through the crowd. “You called?” Suman sounded surprised.
“Yes. And what’s with all this drama? You don’t know me?”
“Why are you talking like this?” Suman was now really surprised.
“My daughter has a phone full of pics of yours. What do you think? I don’t understand anything.”
“It’s not that uncle.” He lowers his voice.
Suman looked at Priya’s father. The look on his face made him sweat.
“Since when this has started?”
“What uncle?”
“Look, I don’t want any drama now. So don’t do that with me now.”
“Err… three years.”
The train blew horn. Suman felt like it was his death bell.
“Actually, it is three years and six months. My daughter remembers it well. Do you think you are some kind of hero? If you think yourself as Shahrukh Khan then I’m Amresh Puri. You understand right. Hero is here, so is the villain. Even there is a train. But there is no heroine. So the ending can be a little different. You might not get the girl but you might get some scratches, bruises and torn shirt.”
Suman felt his throat dry up. But he felt that only water might not solve his problem.
“Uncle… there… some kind of misunderstanding.” Suman tried to explain.
“Hey!” The villain’s (Priya’s father) eyes almost popped out.
IN a very faint voice Suman asked, “What happened?”
“You’re asking me what happened. It’s because of you my little girl had been crying all night. You’re busy chatting with some other girl on facebook. You don’t think I don’t know you guys fought.”
“Uncle, I’m extremely sorry uncle. Tell me what I need to do?”
“You’ll call my daughter and make peace with her. I want to see her happy face when I return home. Got it?”
Sometimes even the smallest things cause great problems. Suman had messaged a girl that she looked very pretty. So much happened for that little message.
Suman dialed Priya’s number. In a scared voice Suman said, “Hi! Are you angry with me?…Don’t be baby… Yes baby… will block her baby… yes baby.”
But the baby on the other side was not co-operating as he wanted. Suman got angry now. In a agitated voice he said, “I’ll block…”. His eyes went to Priya’s father who stood across him.
“Lower your voice.” He commanded.
Suman quickly lowered his voice, “I’ll block her. Just be happy and keep smiling… yes baby… okay baby… yes baby…”
Suman cut the call. “I want to see her smiling face when I return home.”
“You will.” Suman meekly said.
“Alright. Look, you’re sweating profusely. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He suggested.
Suman collected his bag went to the gate. He needed to go Kalyani it was two stations away. As soon as the train stopped at Naihati, he got down hiding in the crowd.
“I’ll catch the next train but never in my life will go in this train.” Suman thought.
Priya’s words rang through his ears. “My father is like my bestest friend. I don’t hide anything from him”
Writer: Suman Chowdhury
