A moment
He opens the toilet door of the running train and says with utmost anger “ fuck man! No matter what ever gets good, this Indian railway will not. They don’t know to flush also…. bloody scoundrels!”.
He closes the door and starts washing his hands by abusing the railways. And then suddenly she comes by opening the compartment door by giving him the fragrance of Yardley London powder.
He sees her and says loudly “ don’t go in the left one, it’s horrible than a bhojpuri film. Check the right one.”
She understood nothing and looked at him like a question mark. Then he said “ Hey! I am talking about the toilet, don’t go at the left one, I have gone there, it’s really shabby. Check the right one first”.
She said with a mini smile “ ohh ok ok, thank you so much. I will.”
She opened the right door and entered in. After closing the water tap , he murmurs “ when did this item come? Maybe yesterday night at Panvel station.”
With a naughty smile he murmurs “has a slight face cut of ‘Preity Zinta , doesn’t ?”. Then immediately she opens the door. He stops murmuring and stand quiet. She with a smile says “thanks a lot”. He gives a smile.
She opens the water tap starts washing her hands.
To ensure weather she really has that face cut of ‘Preity Zinta’ he keeps on staring her while washing hands. She closes the tap and looks him, suddenly he looks aside and starts biting his nails.
Then with a small smile she asks “ from where are you?”
He says “ just landed from heaven, tomorrow going to hell”
she hilariously starts laughing and says” that’s a good one”.
His eyes got froze at her laugh.
She: your good name?
He:don’t know weather it’s a good name , I am Akash.
She with a smile : not that bad, I am Sofia.
Akash: In the name of Jesus, god bless you my child.
Sofia : ohh, by that time gone you into religion also.
Akash: then what. All this names are according to the religion only. For example by hearing my name didn’t you got that I am a Hindu.
Sofia: You mean, no other people of different religion has Sofia name? Ehh! Come on.
Akash: Not like that, in general way, will you find any Hindu with a name Abdul. Like that.
Sofia : please Akash, life is just a moment, don’t we have any other topic than this religion and that all.
Akash: ohh! so you are an atheist, right?
Sofia: I believe in god but not to any particular one, I believe in existence.
Akash: Ohh! Before it’s too late, it’s good for me to change the topic.
Akash: so, do you watch movies?
Sofia: yaa, of course..
Akash: ok.. then which is your favourite film till now.
Sofia: oh, very difficult man, can’t choose any one.
Akash : then also, say which comes first to your mind as a good film.
Sofia: hmm.. ok … yaa interstellar.
Akash scornfully asks “ehh? You understood that film?”
Sofia laughs and says, “yaa why ?”
Akash: hmm.. No Hindi films? At least any old one.
Sofia: actually, I don’t watch much Hindi films.
Akash: aaha, now I understood, you are a boring intelligent, right?
Sofia smiles and says : not like that, yaa I also like that film…
Akash: which?
Sofia: Gravity.
Akash : yuck!
Sofia : what happened?
Akash: hey, nothing just thought about my intelligence.
Sofia: haha, no worries your sense of humour is covering up your limited intelligence.
Akash: not bad. A compliment as well as a fucking taunting .
Sofia: haha, come now say , which is your favourite film.
Akash: ahh.. ya ‘Dil Chahta hai’.
Sofia: ohh, which is that film?
Akash: madam it’s a simple film, under your intelligence, not recommended!
Sofia chuckles and says : hey, Come on, now I am feeling really awkward. Stop this intelligence thing.
Akash with a smile: just joking, TIE
Sofia : TIE? What’s that man?
Akash: Take it easy, ohh sorry sorry, under your intelligence maam.
Sofia laughingly says : just shut up man! You are too bad.
Like this, without knowing they spent half an hour of talking to each other at the train door. As those half an hour were one the most blissful moments of their life.
And suddenly the train stops at Kochi station. Immediately Sofia rousingly says “ ohh my god, kochi! Just wait, I will come with my luggage.” And goes inside the compartment.
Instantly the bright smile on Akash’s face got vanished. As if he wanted to talk much more with Sofia. As he also had a pain holding in his heart of not meeting her early in the train.
As she comes out with her bag, and steps out of the train, looks him with a smile and says “ it was wonderful talking to you Akash”.
Akash: yaa it was, but only a sorrow that we didn’t met at least an hour early.
Sofia: heyy! Why you thinking like that, everything has it’s own time. Life is nothing but just a moment. And thank you for gifting me such beautiful moments in my life.
Akash : wow! What a speech. Tell me honestly, is your subject Philosophy?
Sofia: haha, no I am doing BA in psychology.
Akash: ohh my god! You would have read my mind also…
Sofia with a smile:Yeah of course. And it’s really bad.
Akash chuckles and says “so where you going, home?
Sofia: Yaa my brother will come. Till that told me to sit in the waiting room.
Akash: but why? You just call him now.
Sofia: I called from the train itself, but however our home is far, he will anyway take 30 minutes.
The sound of engine, and the train started. Akash got into the train.
Sofia: bye Akash.
Akash: Go run, before the waiting room gets booked.
Sofia giggles and says “yaa bye.”
They both looked at each other with a smile and waved hands.
As after 15minutes the train reached Trivandrum station where Akash’s brother was waiting to pick up him.
He stepped out of the train, and saw his brother coming running towards him.
Tremblingly his brother says “ bro you know?”
Akash: what?
Brother: A bomb blast in kochi station, three minutes ago.
Akash got numbed for a moment. The first thing came to his mind was Sofia’s smiling face.
With a shivering voice he asked “did everyone die?”
Brother: in the waiting area a man placed a bag and gone, so it may be he who did that. Not confirmed anything but the bomb was placed in the waiting room, so everyone in waiting room had died.
A chill ran down through Akash’s spine. He felt like a cold corpse.
In his mind Sofia’s last words echoed, “ life is nothing, but just a moment……”
-Akash Nair.
