BEFORE THE GIANT LEAP READ THIS BRIEF :
- “This story is fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental. If you still doubt please mail me at ask@jithumpablog.com”.
- Thanks to Aswany Roy for editing the article.
- 2016 Calicut Railway Station around 7pm:
”CALICUT STATION WELCOMES YOU ALL. ATTENTION PLEASE. TRAIN NO:18796 NETHRAVATHI EXPRESS HAS ARRIVED IN PLATFORM NO:1“.
He stepped down in a hurry and dashed to the exit door even before the train stopped to let the passengers out the normal way. He struggled to run fast on account of his heavy back pack.Somehow or the other he reached in front of the nearby hospital PVS Calicut. The busy crowd out there in the hospital lobby stared at this guy’s fishy landing. Without waiting for the escalator’s help he marched on like an athlete and climbed the stairs.He dragged himself to the right block of 2nd floor somehow and directly ran into the guy standing outside the operation theatre alone with a flask in his left hand. He shook that around 30 year aged guy’s shoulder in haste. How is she ? Then the other guy replied
“Hey Jithu you reached huh? Be calm and stay here. Nothing to worry man. Let me get these medicines first.”
He took off his bag and forced himself to sit down on a nearby chair. Then other guy moved away briskly with a medicine list in his hand. He sat there for a while and later walked slowly to the window side lost, reminiscingin memories. Slowly his eyes shut off.
- 2010 Alepy railway station around 12.30pm:
ALEPPY STATION WELCOMES YOU ALL..ATTENTION PLEASE TRAIN NO:18796 NETHRAVATHI EXPRESS IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE ON PLATFORM NO:1 WITH IN SHORT TIME::
There you can see a big queue in front of the ticket counter. Please notice that fair, short guy in a white t-shirt and blue jeans with a cross bag across the shoulder. He is Jithu, an Engineering student now on his way back home.
“Hey a sleeper ticket to Calicut please!” He articulated a bit loudly to the ticket man. I rarely take the sleeper ticket because I hate travelling without being sandwiched even by train”. But today I’ma little tired after a 1 month hectic exam match with my opponent CUSAT University. So I decided to compensate my deprived sleep of the last few days while today in the train. Randomly I opted a berth and slipped into my most favourite time pass, “SLEEP”. I slowly slipped to sleep.
Slowly opening my eyes after some time I felt like I was sleeping for the past 1 week. I couldn’t completely check out what that girl sitting below near the window seat was actually doing. I stretched to boost myself and rubbed my eyes to get a lucid and straight view and focused straight down. Her face was covered by her long hair follicles which found good rapport with the wind and bounced in it gently. The world renowned book (Victor Hugo’s
Les Miserables) was resting in her lap. Also she was busy un wrapping her 5 star chocolate.oops. I just checked my bag right away to conform whether or not it was not my piece of chocolate and book which I had bought today .Hmmm interesting.She was absorbed in her reading ritual and didn’t even bother considering me the least bit. I had just done some of my usual ‘attention seeking’ pranks and had failed miserably. So I dragged myself out to the bathroom, washed and got back with rigid plans to get her attention. Oh shit.. Someone else had intruded my place..” BANG”.I controlled myself and said
“Hey that’s my seat”
“Your name is not written here”
“BANG”… With that statement he had already declared his intention. So without itching more I sat down on another seat. After some time our villain started pouring water from above.
“Hey man what you’re doing? Keep it to yourself dude, it’s dripping down”
“You better move a bit. That will do” he replied ”BANG”
I just nodded my head in disappointment and turned back. It was then that I noticed that all this time the girl was casting sidelong glances at me. And when she realized I had noted it, she turned her head back and dived into her book .An old man sitting opposite her started talking with me later. I told him straight away about that boy’s bad behaviour.But he shocked me by introducing his family including the stout boy who had caused friction (he was the father of our villain and heroine) and our angel girl too. Later the conversation turned out to be informal. And all along the pretty girl was busy with her book. A teeny bit astonishing at first.but I slowly began enjoying it.Time rolled on at top gear..Politics, family, etc etc, we had discussed a wide variety of topics with me constantly on watch if she showed the slightest attention to our conversation. But she was busy eating that damn book. After some time I bought a cutlet and sauce to satisfy my belly. Surprisingly she pointed her hand and gestured her dad to get one for her too. My eyes widened. For the first time she smiled. So she was listening to all my words…. We both had it together chancing glances in between. That made me happy and confident. Her dad went to the next compartment to check their ticket status. ..Thank god. Here’s my chance. By now we had really started sharing something which I can’t explain. Later I pointed at the remnants of sauce on her cheek and a hilarious moment it was… Within that short span of time I had learned to talk using eyes and hands efficiently…. Voila!Ha…!! And within that short time we had also developed a mental bond too. Suddenly that sound I heard freezed me.
“Feroke station welcomes u”.
I have to step down the next station…. My disappointed facial expression made her suspicious. I couldn’t talk to her straight in this situation because her bro was sleeping above.I didn’t know more about her place or anything about her. If I missed her now.it would be as good as forever and I didn’t want that to happen. Suddenly i got an idea… I checked for it in my bag and grabbed one , A PEN.. All this time she was eagerly waiting for my next step. I just jotted down 9809832955 on the seat cover… Suddenly her bro who was sleeping above, came down and sat on her Dad’s seat and my attempt to gesture and alert her to buzz me back failed. A fewwretched,damn helpless moments passed.
“Calicut station welcomes u all.”
So here I am.. Going away…. I could see her face shrinking and blinking hopelessly.
Helpless moments.
I stepped down… I stood there at the station to at see her waving or at least glance.
But,slowly the train moved on stamping her helpless face in my heart.Someone touched me from back and I turned around
That touch pulled me back to 2016 from 2010. I wiped away the tears turned back in haste .There I found a group of people standing near the operation theatre .All were staring at me. I sprinted straight to the operation theatre. I was sweating and stammering. I held the doctor’s hand tightly and asked.
“How’s she?”
He chuckled and shook my hands and said
Congratulation TWIN FATHER”.
I held a deep breath and sighed and thanked God Almighty while going inside the room.
“Oh God! You are great!” I kept on repeating until I saw my darling daughters. Holding both my babies in my left and right hand I hushed “Vaiga and Gowri” into their ears when my train found beauty half smiling raised her hand to touch me . “LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL”
Thanks for reading ….Love you all .
