rawpixel photo
By
Bhagirath Routh
On my way to Huda City Centre, I boarded a metro rail and got a seat beside a middle aged man clad in a formal white shirt and blue trousers, and wearing an eye glass, tall and stout. I saw him remaining busy on his Smartphone. I sat leaning against the glass window of the metro. Suddenly, when I cast a gaze at the screen of his Smartphone, I was surprised to see the image of a beautiful young woman, judging by the facial appearance, with whom he was chatting. He was chatting very romantic words that are unnatural to people of his age: I love you very much; I always desire to meet you; every moment I want to live together, sleep together; believe me dear––you are the first and last love in my life…
Then I was thinking over a critical criminal case which was assigned to me ten months before. I was tired of searching for the criminal. The gentleman’s unusual nature of expression arrested my attention. I became curious to know what he was doing and began to analyse his mental activities and behaviour.
Then Othello, the Moor, the famous character of Othello by William Shakespeare dazzled in my mind. He was illiterate, but a shrewd and brave soldier. His marvellous story-telling power captivated Desdemona, the daughter of the King whom Othello was serving. Ultimately, they got married.
I thought my fellow passenger also was an Othello. When my curiosity was muddling on such comparisons a young woman dressed in pink fitting uppers and white leggings, a khaki colour bag slang down her left shoulder, her eyes were mysteriously calm, cool and full of romantic motions, her long cascading dark hair was spreading over her shoulders almost above her waist, got onto the train and stood in front of me. But she was busy on her Apple Smartphone. After a while, she sat to my left while the interesting middle aged man was still sitting to my right. We were sitting silently, but other fellow passengers, young and old, were talking between themselves, some being victim of the mobile disease, busy on their Smartphones.
No sooner did I begin thinking over the criminal case than I noticed that the woman sitting to my right was stealthily gazing at my face. I became curious to know why she was behaving so. Soon it became clear when I cast my gaze at the screen of her Smartphone. The image of the person she was chatting to matched my face. Exactly! I looked at her face directly and was surprised to find similarity between the image of the woman on the screen of the interesting man’s Smartphone and the woman sitting to my left.
Now my professional detective brain got an interesting case to judge and solve the curiosity. I followed the chats they were sharing. Incredible! Exactly the same:
The interesting man: Whr R U DR?
The woman to my left: I’m in metro on my way back from college and U?
The interesting man: I 2 M travelling by metro to Huda City Centre….
I caught the woman to be surprised to see me sitting silently. I knew the woman was trapped by the interesting, cunning man, but she was still unaware of it. Had she known it, how different the situation would have been!
Her curious eyes were restless in the course of sharing their feelings. Where is that handsome, the young who loves her best. I was sure that both of them did not even trace me that I came to know something about their love affair, and it was maturing from Facebook to reality. But what would be their immediate future, even I did not assume.
Suddenly the interesting man cast a look at my face and turned his attention to his phone. “Excuse me” he said. “Welcome.” I said. “I think I have seen you somewhere” he said.
“Where?”
“Somewhere in Delhi.”
“No, you’re wrong. I have come to Delhi first time today. But where are you from? What do you do?”
“I’m a leather merchant. My office is in Huda City.”
“How many members are there in your family?”
“Why, sir?”
“Simply, I want to know about it.
“Ok, I’m the sole member of my family. I’m still single. I love beauty. Since my youth, I’ve been looking for a beauty…”
“And even till your fifties you’ve failed to meet a beauty to marry and live the happiest life, am I right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And if you find the beauty you’ve been looking for in this metro now…”
The metro audio speaker announced, “The next station is Qutb Minar. Doors will open to the left.”
“Which beauty?”
“I’m sorry, gentleman because I’ve to get down at this very station. Bye the bye, I’ll tell you another day when we meet again. Bye, enjoy happy life.”
As I stood up and moved towards the gate, the woman followed me. I cast a look at her face and found to be much tensed. I didn’t know why––possibly she was thinking over my words to the interesting man or failing to talk to me.
On the other hand, the man too looked tensed and stopped chatting, but was holding his Smartphone in his right hand and leaning against the wall looking up. He was perhaps thinking that he came close to his beauty, yet failed to talk face to face and even introduce himself. As the door closed and the train left the station, I uttered only one word, Titanic! Now, the woman cast a curious and passionate gaze at me from the platform while moving towards the escalator from among the moving crowd. Her eyes told me, as if she heard me or perhaps was looking for me, though she found me, sat beside me; only exchanged silent feelings; failed to unfurl me her long cherished feelings of love and life.
I could still remember now ––once she was very much expectant to speak with me and ask me something just as the interesting man did. But she could not dare to do so.
Even from the auto, she looked at me, as if to tell me she did not make any mistake to recognise her dearest one with whom she chatted and possibly talked over the phone day and night, very often. She was waiting for a hint that I was her lover; the hint that could draw her to me to unfurl her thousands of romantic words.
We got separated as the auto moved. I got in an auto heading the opposite direction.
Bhagirath Routh
Bhagirath Routh is an ELT Editor, Creative Content Writer and blogger. Born and brought up in the village Baburampathra of Jhargram District in West Bengal, India. He is graduated in Humanities and Masters in English. He is also a Digital Marketing Consultant trained in Delhi School of Digital Marketing. He worked as an ELT Editor for Parul Prakashani Pvt. Ltd. housed in Kolkata, Anand Books International and as a Senior Editorial Assistant for Techbooks International in Delhi NCR. He worked sometime for Mascot Education Pvt. Ltd. as a Moral Science writer for K–10 segments. Currently, he lives in Delhi and works for Elegant Publishers Pvt Ltd.
Nice dear