chapter 7 Beyond a Call
921 Words
Beyond a Call
He slowly made his way back to his seat.
By then, she had taken bread and jam out of her bag. Just like the long hours of the journey, the morning too was gradually settling into a rhythm of its own.
He looked at her.
“Is your phone dead?”
She looked up.
“No.”
“Then?”
Her brows drew together slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“You didn't even get a call?”
He connected his phone to the charger.
“I just talked to my mom.”
There was a brief pause.
Then, looking out through the window, he said quietly,
“Even though I'm far from home... she's always with me. In my thoughts.”
She said nothing.
For a while, she simply looked at him, listening to his words.
Then he picked up a slice of bread.
He slowly spread some jam over it and said,
“I'll make it...”
He looked at her.
“For you.”
Something flickered in her eyes for a moment.
Perhaps there was something she wanted to say.
Or perhaps she simply felt there was no need to.
Even she wasn't sure.
In the end, there was only a small smile on her lips.
She picked up her phone.
Slowly, she rose from her seat and walked towards the door of the coach.
Once she reached there, she unlocked her phone.
Opened her contacts.
Her finger stopped over one particular name.
“Ammuttyy😘❤️”
The moment she saw it, a small, almost childish smile appeared on her face.
She pressed Call.
The call was answered before even a single ring had finished.
“Achhu... how are you, sweetheart?”
Her mother's voice.
It felt like the opening of a door back home.
Her face brightened instantly.
“I'm fine, Amma.”
“Did you eat?”
“No... I'll eat now.”
“Did you drink water?”
“Yes.”
“You're okay, right, Achhu?”
“Yes, Amma... I'm okay.”
She smiled.
Her mother's questions continued, carrying that familiar mixture of affection and concern.
Had she eaten?
Had she drunk enough water?
Was she comfortable on the train?
Where was her father?
What was her brother doing?
She answered every question.
Even the smallest details from home were things she loved hearing about.
Laughter slipped into her voice every now and then.
“Are Dad and my brother there?”
“Yes.”
“I'll talk to them later.”
“Okay.”
After a while, her mother asked,
“When will you reach Delhi?”
“It'll still take some time.”
“You have your appointment letter with you, right?”
“Yes, Amma.”
“Are you comfortable on the train?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, a faint note of concern entered her mother's voice.
“Achhu... be careful.”
She smiled softly.
“I know, Amma.”
“I told you not to travel in a general compartment. It's not safe.”
She looked out through the window.
Then, very calmly, she said,
“Amma... aren't they just like us?”
There was silence on the other end.
“Before this, we were just like them too.”
There was no argument in her voice.
Only conviction.
“Nothing has really changed about us, has it, Amma?”
Her mother let out a slow breath.
“Hmm...”
“I can't argue with you.”
A smile returned to her lips.
“Your decisions will always be based on your own point of view.”
“That’s because I'm your daughter, Amma.”
A soft laugh came from the other end.
There was the warmth of an entire home inside that small conversation.
For a little while...
she was no longer on the train.
She was no longer on the long journey to Delhi.
She was home.
Beside her mother's voice.
Beside her father's presence.
Beside her brother's voice.
And then...
her mother's voice suddenly changed.
“Achhu...”
“Hmm?”
“Did he call?”
She fell silent.
One second.
Then another.
Her eyes lowered without her realising it.
A faint smile slowly appeared at the corners of her lips.
“Yeah...”
The word came quietly.
“I... I talked to him.”
A hint of curiosity entered her mother's voice.
But before she could ask anything—
“I'll call you later, Amma.”
“Okay, Achhu.”
“Bye, Amma.”
“Bye, sweetheart.”
The call ended.
She slowly lowered the phone.
Her mother's voice still lingered in her ear.
“Okay, Achhu... call me later.”
The small smile was still there.
For a few moments, memories of home had returned to her.
Her father.
Her brother.
Her mother.
Home.
She looked at the screen of her phone.
And then—
another call came in.
The moment she saw the number glowing on the screen...
the smile slowly disappeared.
Her breath caught for a moment.
Her fingers remained motionless above the screen.
She closed her eyes.
Took a deep breath.
Then another.
Slowly.
The phone continued to ring.
She opened her eyes.
Looked at the screen.
And in her eyes—
for the briefest moment—
there was fear.
Then...
Call declined.
She immediately locked her phone.
Her hands remained still for a few seconds.
Outside, the rain continued to fall.
Inside...
somewhere within her mind,
a door that no one else knew existed
slowly closed.
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