Kapil had to change buses to reach his college. Within a few weeks of joining the college he had a good idea of the bus timings. The 20 minute wait at the link road stop was turning out to be the most tiring 20 minutes of his life. This being the pre-mobile era, there was no possibility of looking down at that object in his palm and be oblivious of everything else around. Kapil was not into books either and so there was no doorway to the Austinen era England or Rice-an jungles. He ended up standing under the shade of a tree and play mind numbing games. How many red cars passed by today? Can I spot any Mercedes Benz today? Will Maruti or Ambassador win today's count? As his mind played these games, many buses passed by but he did not notice any of these. His eyes were fixed on the cars on the road. Kapil understood the meaning of the word boredom at that bus stop. If he went on to become a saint, this 20 minute wait in the morning and evening could be given credit. But fate had something else in store for him - It never let him move from the state of passivity to patience to penance. It gave him a fine distraction instead.
One day an altercation between a bus conductor passenger got Kapil's eyes off the road. His eyes did not fall on the exact scene of commotion but on a beautiful face near the scene. The pair of eyes on that face were watching him intently. She took her eyes off him when he looked at her. Kapil continued to look at her. After a bit, she stole a glance at him but turned her head away almost itmmediately. She kept her eyes off him till the bus moved away. Kapil looked at her for as long as he could. He then wrote the bus number into his head - A glimmer of light in the dark tunnel.
Kapil was very happy to get back to the bus stop the next evening. He was no longer interested in the Marutis and Ambassadors on road. All he cared for was the bus and the girl. The bus of interest came by 10 minutes later and the girl was seated in the same location as the previous day. Kapil did not take his eyes off her but she did not turn her head towards him. The bus moved on leaving a disappointed Kapil . The disappointment continued for the next few days. He waited for the bus, the bus came by, he stared at the girl, she did not look at him, the conductor blows the whistle and the bus disappears into the traffic bustle with Kapil's eyes on its disappearing form. This went on for a few days and Kapil's interest on the bus and its beautiful passenger went down. The intensity of his stare had gone down from "Oh! What a girl" to "mmmmm hmmmmm".
Around that time Kapil visited his friend Govind, where Kapil overheard Govind's sister, Paavani's phone conversation. He heard her say "O! the link road stop is it?", "How long has this been going?", "How does the guy look?", "Did you talk to him?", "Noooooo, go ahead and talk", "How boring!". The door opened and Govind's voice was heard.
The next time, he saw the girl his stare was back to the "Oh! What a girl" intensity. He stared at her hard but the girl did not look in his direction. The burning question in Kapil's mind was "Was Paavani talking to this girl? Were they talking about me?". The question continued to haunt him for the next few days as he did not see any reaction from her. In desperation, he started visiting Govind's home and start small talks with Paavani. But he never really got the guts to ask Paavani about the girl on the bus. So small talks remained small talks and the girl in that bus remained that girl in the bus.
One day, Kapil decided to move away from the under-the-tree location. He watched the bus as it came by but on this day the girl was looking intently at the location where he used to stand. She looked around and then her eyes returned to the location under the tree. Kapil walked to towards the tree, looking at the girl with a smile on his lips. When he reached there, the girl noticed him and jerked her head off in another direction. She then slowly turned he head round and smiled at him. "It's time of the season for loving" was going on in Kapil's head. The bus moved away with the two looking at each other. The next few days continued to be smile at each other days.
Kapil now wanted to take the relationship to the next level - He had to talk to her. The next day, he got into her bus. The girl saw him walk towards the bus and her smile disappeared. He took a ticket to the last stop of that bus and walked towards the girl's seat. She was busily looking at a book in her hand. He stood by the seat but did not perceive any reaction from the girl. He stood there for some time and attempted clearing his throat, singing a tune, whistling another tune, force a cough, force another cough, force a sneeze, sing another song,... At this point, the lady sitting next to the girl glared at Kapil and asked him, in quite an unfriendly manner, to keep quiet and move on. The girl did not look up or react to either of this. Kapil kept looking at her and moved towards the driver. He continued to look at her but she kept her eyes on the book and the lady continued to glare at him. Finally, Kapil got tired of the scene and got down from the bus.
That evening, he visited Govind's place where a heated argument was taking place between Govind and Paavani. The topic was about Paavani's friend smiling at a guy in a bus stop and the guy following her into the bus.
"If she smiled, he will follow her. What did she expect?" said Govind.
"Why should he follow her? She was only being polite." was the response.
"It does not mean that she was being polite. It means she likes him."
"No, it does not. She hardly knows him. So how can she like him?"
"Then why did she smile at him."
"She sees him everyday and so she decided to be polite and smile."
"She sees a lot of people every day. Does she smile at all of them?"
"He smiled at her first and she only returned the smile."
"Anyway, what happened after that? Did he talk to her?"
"No, a good lady sitting next to her chased the creep off."
By this time, Kapil was sweating profusely and was looking at a way to run out of the house. Govind turned to Kapil, at the moment, and asked "Hey, you change buses and the link road stop isn't it?" "Well, hmmm, ya sometimes." "Have you seen this guy standing under a tree and smiling at girls passing by?" "Hmmmm, no. I don't know. Hey, I got to leave".
The next day, Kapil went to the NSS office in his college and enrolled for the evening traffic duty - one and half hours of controlling traffic before reaching the link road stop. He did not see that girl again till many years later. It was on the day of Govind's sister wedding.
"Congratulations Paavani" she said.
"Hi Geeta, so glad you could make it" replied Paavani. She then introduced Geeta to her husband "This is Geeta, my good friend from school."
"Congratulations Kapil. You look familiar. Have we met before?"
One day an altercation between a bus conductor passenger got Kapil's eyes off the road. His eyes did not fall on the exact scene of commotion but on a beautiful face near the scene. The pair of eyes on that face were watching him intently. She took her eyes off him when he looked at her. Kapil continued to look at her. After a bit, she stole a glance at him but turned her head away almost itmmediately. She kept her eyes off him till the bus moved away. Kapil looked at her for as long as he could. He then wrote the bus number into his head - A glimmer of light in the dark tunnel.
Kapil was very happy to get back to the bus stop the next evening. He was no longer interested in the Marutis and Ambassadors on road. All he cared for was the bus and the girl. The bus of interest came by 10 minutes later and the girl was seated in the same location as the previous day. Kapil did not take his eyes off her but she did not turn her head towards him. The bus moved on leaving a disappointed Kapil . The disappointment continued for the next few days. He waited for the bus, the bus came by, he stared at the girl, she did not look at him, the conductor blows the whistle and the bus disappears into the traffic bustle with Kapil's eyes on its disappearing form. This went on for a few days and Kapil's interest on the bus and its beautiful passenger went down. The intensity of his stare had gone down from "Oh! What a girl" to "mmmmm hmmmmm".
Around that time Kapil visited his friend Govind, where Kapil overheard Govind's sister, Paavani's phone conversation. He heard her say "O! the link road stop is it?", "How long has this been going?", "How does the guy look?", "Did you talk to him?", "Noooooo, go ahead and talk", "How boring!". The door opened and Govind's voice was heard.
The next time, he saw the girl his stare was back to the "Oh! What a girl" intensity. He stared at her hard but the girl did not look in his direction. The burning question in Kapil's mind was "Was Paavani talking to this girl? Were they talking about me?". The question continued to haunt him for the next few days as he did not see any reaction from her. In desperation, he started visiting Govind's home and start small talks with Paavani. But he never really got the guts to ask Paavani about the girl on the bus. So small talks remained small talks and the girl in that bus remained that girl in the bus.
One day, Kapil decided to move away from the under-the-tree location. He watched the bus as it came by but on this day the girl was looking intently at the location where he used to stand. She looked around and then her eyes returned to the location under the tree. Kapil walked to towards the tree, looking at the girl with a smile on his lips. When he reached there, the girl noticed him and jerked her head off in another direction. She then slowly turned he head round and smiled at him. "It's time of the season for loving" was going on in Kapil's head. The bus moved away with the two looking at each other. The next few days continued to be smile at each other days.
Kapil now wanted to take the relationship to the next level - He had to talk to her. The next day, he got into her bus. The girl saw him walk towards the bus and her smile disappeared. He took a ticket to the last stop of that bus and walked towards the girl's seat. She was busily looking at a book in her hand. He stood by the seat but did not perceive any reaction from the girl. He stood there for some time and attempted clearing his throat, singing a tune, whistling another tune, force a cough, force another cough, force a sneeze, sing another song,... At this point, the lady sitting next to the girl glared at Kapil and asked him, in quite an unfriendly manner, to keep quiet and move on. The girl did not look up or react to either of this. Kapil kept looking at her and moved towards the driver. He continued to look at her but she kept her eyes on the book and the lady continued to glare at him. Finally, Kapil got tired of the scene and got down from the bus.
That evening, he visited Govind's place where a heated argument was taking place between Govind and Paavani. The topic was about Paavani's friend smiling at a guy in a bus stop and the guy following her into the bus.
"If she smiled, he will follow her. What did she expect?" said Govind.
"Why should he follow her? She was only being polite." was the response.
"It does not mean that she was being polite. It means she likes him."
"No, it does not. She hardly knows him. So how can she like him?"
"Then why did she smile at him."
"She sees him everyday and so she decided to be polite and smile."
"She sees a lot of people every day. Does she smile at all of them?"
"He smiled at her first and she only returned the smile."
"Anyway, what happened after that? Did he talk to her?"
"No, a good lady sitting next to her chased the creep off."
By this time, Kapil was sweating profusely and was looking at a way to run out of the house. Govind turned to Kapil, at the moment, and asked "Hey, you change buses and the link road stop isn't it?" "Well, hmmm, ya sometimes." "Have you seen this guy standing under a tree and smiling at girls passing by?" "Hmmmm, no. I don't know. Hey, I got to leave".
The next day, Kapil went to the NSS office in his college and enrolled for the evening traffic duty - one and half hours of controlling traffic before reaching the link road stop. He did not see that girl again till many years later. It was on the day of Govind's sister wedding.
"Congratulations Paavani" she said.
"Hi Geeta, so glad you could make it" replied Paavani. She then introduced Geeta to her husband "This is Geeta, my good friend from school."
"Congratulations Kapil. You look familiar. Have we met before?"
