Our Story

Chapter 7

When I came to know that her father had cancer. It would be a very hard time for her, so I thought about the day when I'll find her without her father. The day when I will talk to her, appreciate her, tell her that everything will eventually be okay. I know how it felt, the pain of losing someone special I know.

And one day, something strange happened. I found her alone on the platform without her father. I was surprised and before going near her I glanced around to search for him but couldn't find him anywhere. I subconsciously but carefully stepped towards her and silently stood more than two meter away from her. I didn't go any further, thinking that her father might be around somewhere. And if he saw me near his daughter I would be a dead meat.

That day she was looking a bit sad, lost in some deep thought. I never saw her like that. I quietly took a few steps towards her and with every step my heartbeat roared against my chest. Again I halted a meter away and waited for our metro, to be fully sure that her father wasn't there.

At that moment I was having heebie jeebies as if I was going to steal something from her. I was so nervous, it was my first time doing something like that.

The girl whom I had never seen silent, always seen her happy about everything around her, was lost somewhere.

Few minutes later, our metro was on the platform but still I couldn't see her father anywhere. She silently got inside and stepped to her regular seat. I followed her to her seat.

I checked both of Laut's friends were also not there. And unknowingly I began to worry, "What would have happened to him ?" I questioned myself.

She sat on her seat, keeping her eyesight down at her knees. I stood just in front of her, keeping my gaze on her.

Seeing her so quiet, I was confused but happy too because there was only me, her and a bit of distance between us. I know it might sound selfish but I can’t deny the fact though. A perfect opportunity for me to talk to her but I was just a little scared or nervous, and started overthinking about that circumstance. "She might mind being so close to me. What if she starts humiliating me just like that cranky girl did. People used to insult me without any specific reason and then she had enough reasons to insult me. What if she stood up and gave me a tight slap in front of everyone?"

She was upset and I was sure that the reason was her father. I wanted to know if he was fine and where he was, but I didn't know where and how to start.

And my thoughts started hitting me one after another, "How should I start a conversation with her? Should I sit beside her or stand right here and say hello." I used to talk too much but only to myself.

Then my eyes fell on the hoop earring she was wearing. It was irritating her disturbed self more. That hoop was opening over again and she was trying to fix it.

I was continuously keeping my eyes on her and saw her hoop unlocked again. I chuckled but didn't get her attention and then again her silence started bothering me. Before I could gather all my courage to talk to her, her hair flicks started troubling her even more and she irritably put those hair strands behind her ear.

I often saw her playing with her hair and earrings, but that day when she was upset, everything was just troubling her. She was so irritated by those tiny little things. And that excuse was enough for me, I thought, "Let's see her closely for a few more minutes, I will talk to her after some time, when she will be a little fine." and I waited.

While she was busy with her hair and earrings, I saw that unlocked hoop fell from her ear near her feet but I still didn't speak a word and kept silence on my lips. I waited for her mood to get better but those fifteen minutes were over.

I didn't notice that I was standing in her way. She stood up to leave and at that moment she was so close to me. When I didn’t give her space to leave, she looked up at my face with her wet eyes and our eyes met.

I began to drown in those teary deep blue eyes. She oppressed me and without taking her eyes off, let me drown in it. But I felt something strange as if those blue eyes were saying ‘You lost me.’

She made me confused again, "How could I lose someone that wasn't mine?" I thought.

After a few seconds she took her eyes off me and walked towards the exit door. Maybe she took her eyes off me in a moment, but I felt that slight pause.

While she was walking to the door, I thought that today on the pretext of giving her that hoop earring, I must talk to her. I leaned down quickly, picked up the hoop earring and prepared myself to run behind her but when I turned around I saw her at the door, looking at me.

I got nervous again and hid that hoop in my fist. She stood there, her gaze at me. But after a while, without doing anything she turned around and stepped down the metro.

I assumed that she might have seen me picking up that hoop earring. Taking that earring in my hand, I started thinking, "I again missed today's opportunity to talk with her. But I will definitely give it back to her tomorrow." I tied the earring in my handkerchief and kept it in my pocket while waiting for the next morning.

The next morning following my morning routine, I got ready immediately, kept the handkerchief in my pocket and ran out of home hurriedly.

While I was locking my door, a lot of mud spilled on my jeans..... again. And I shouted with curses, "Argh! Ridiculous! Damn ! He is back." That ridiculous pug caught me again.

I was very much frustrated that I kicked him hard and he ran making a weird sound.

Now I feels sorry about it but not that day, I just wanted to kick him once more but he ran away already.

I went back to change and ran to the subway but damn I was 10 min late and s**t! I missed my train.

The only thing I could do was to wait for the next metro and go straight to the office. I cursed that Pug all day, and waited for the next day.

The next morning I took a metal rod and left the house with a ‘hit at sight’ strategy in my mind. But thankfully he wasn't there.

I was glad and threw that rod inside of my house before I ran to the subway again. On reaching there I glanced around in search of her but she was nowhere. Few minutes later, our metro was on the platform but she wasn't. The door was open but I was still glancing around for her and missed my train. I stayed there 10 minutes more, waiting for her but that was worthless. I got on the next metro and went to the office.

The same thing happened the next day and the day after that and the day after that too. Every time I wished for a chance to talk with her and whenever I got one I easily missed that.

In those four days I was like… ‘Ok, fine.’ It's just a hoop earring. She wouldn't mind it if I couldn't give it back to her.

On the fifth day, after returning from the office, I started to feel that I might not be able to meet her again. She was the only one who made me smile. So, 'I met a girl who was totally different from others', I broke the earring’s hoop clasp and wore it as a thumb ring as a remembrance. This was similar to how my mother did when I broke her earring in my childhood.

And since that day I've been wearing that ring until today. But I forget where I put it today after returning back from the office. Anyway nothing to worry, I know that just like I found her again I'll find that ring too.