Tales of two rainy nights
Deja vu
My life took me to a city called Noida, which is rain deprived. Howbeit, today the nature was generous on the desert city, it was raining like there is no tomorrow. It was Friday and I had some weekend commitments in New Delhi, so I decided to leave early. It was raining since morning, the otherwise bright and hot Noida was looking gloomy, wet and cooler. At 4:30 evening, it was as dark or as bright as 4:30 AM.
The issue with almost all the metro cities or for that matter all the cities in India is, that they are not able to or prepared to handle rains. It happens in the city of Mumbai, where rainfall is generous and a day or two dry days during the monsoon months are Golden or in NCR, where a day or two of rain in the monsoon season are little two much.
Traffics have another connection to rains. Come the rains, you will have immediate traffic jams. God knows why.
I kept on moving towards Delhi, avoiding all the big jams until I reached just near the coveted DND flyover.
The traffic was still heavy, so I was driving slow. Looking around to pass time.My new car almost floated at times due to water logged at certain places.
There in a bus stop, I saw a familiar face, which I was trying to forget since last couple of years. But also was trying to find in other faces around.
She was still the same. Quite, graceful and what we call in Hindi, serious. In white and light blue attire, she was looking the angel descended on the earth, as graceful as ever she was. The rain water rolling down her face made her look more beautiful. She was putting a lot of effort to avoid rain, but the small crowded bus stop was not helping.
Flashback
The weather was as gloomy when we met for the first time. The only difference was the month. That was December this was July, that was quite hilly town, this was crowded metro.
Present
I took my car to the bus stop area. A huge crowd surrounded my car and I struggled to convince them that I am here to pick someone. Luckily the crowd drew her attention towards the car. I asked her to get in. She was surprised to see me and reluctantly came in. I think more due to weather and surprise than any bond we shared earlier, thou I would like to believe otherwise. Her friend sat behind. My new car was all messed up due to these two ladies getting in, fully soaked in water. I would never had allowed anyone else to do that, but she was different.
We exchanged few formalities. She introduced me to her friend as a classmate, not even as a friend. I tried to be as comfortable, not sure if I was visibly okay. I did most of the talking.
She remained quite mostly. Thou I found her looking at me at times, may be searching some happiness in me. It was not a probing look, it was definitely a concerned look. At times I felt she wanted to tell me something. May be it was my wild imagination. I felt she would console me, as she did last time, over the phone. Here I am in flesh and blood.
End of a Chapter
It was 8:30 PM.
My destination was South Delhi, her was south Delhi too, but a little off route, Apollo hospitals, where her grandma was admitted. I dropped her, she thanked me, and we departed just as two acquaintances do. It was more formal than the first time we met.
The life has taken a full circle. I met her first, it was a rainy night. It was a fitting farewell, when we departed forever, the rainy night.
My life took me to a city called Noida, which is rain deprived. Howbeit, today the nature was generous on the desert city, it was raining like there is no tomorrow. It was Friday and I had some weekend commitments in New Delhi, so I decided to leave early. It was raining since morning, the otherwise bright and hot Noida was looking gloomy, wet and cooler. At 4:30 evening, it was as dark or as bright as 4:30 AM.
The issue with almost all the metro cities or for that matter all the cities in India is, that they are not able to or prepared to handle rains. It happens in the city of Mumbai, where rainfall is generous and a day or two dry days during the monsoon months are Golden or in NCR, where a day or two of rain in the monsoon season are little two much.
Traffics have another connection to rains. Come the rains, you will have immediate traffic jams. God knows why.
I kept on moving towards Delhi, avoiding all the big jams until I reached just near the coveted DND flyover.
The traffic was still heavy, so I was driving slow. Looking around to pass time.My new car almost floated at times due to water logged at certain places.
There in a bus stop, I saw a familiar face, which I was trying to forget since last couple of years. But also was trying to find in other faces around.
She was still the same. Quite, graceful and what we call in Hindi, serious. In white and light blue attire, she was looking the angel descended on the earth, as graceful as ever she was. The rain water rolling down her face made her look more beautiful. She was putting a lot of effort to avoid rain, but the small crowded bus stop was not helping.
Flashback
The weather was as gloomy when we met for the first time. The only difference was the month. That was December this was July, that was quite hilly town, this was crowded metro.
Present
I took my car to the bus stop area. A huge crowd surrounded my car and I struggled to convince them that I am here to pick someone. Luckily the crowd drew her attention towards the car. I asked her to get in. She was surprised to see me and reluctantly came in. I think more due to weather and surprise than any bond we shared earlier, thou I would like to believe otherwise. Her friend sat behind. My new car was all messed up due to these two ladies getting in, fully soaked in water. I would never had allowed anyone else to do that, but she was different.
We exchanged few formalities. She introduced me to her friend as a classmate, not even as a friend. I tried to be as comfortable, not sure if I was visibly okay. I did most of the talking.
She remained quite mostly. Thou I found her looking at me at times, may be searching some happiness in me. It was not a probing look, it was definitely a concerned look. At times I felt she wanted to tell me something. May be it was my wild imagination. I felt she would console me, as she did last time, over the phone. Here I am in flesh and blood.
End of a Chapter
It was 8:30 PM.
My destination was South Delhi, her was south Delhi too, but a little off route, Apollo hospitals, where her grandma was admitted. I dropped her, she thanked me, and we departed just as two acquaintances do. It was more formal than the first time we met.
The life has taken a full circle. I met her first, it was a rainy night. It was a fitting farewell, when we departed forever, the rainy night.
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