14-09-2011
“Raju, listen… no more arguments… I have had enough of your drama… please don’t call me again… One more call and I will change my number…” Malini saw a kid picking something from the ground and taking that towards his mouth while she ended the call. Suddenly she pulled the hands of the kid and made him drop that thing. The kid’s mom thanked malini but the kid gave a look of the action heroes in the climax scenes of tamil cinema.
Malini smiled at him and turned to see the others in the train. Local train was not crowded that day. Malini’s office is in katpadi and her house is in arakkonam. She travels by the local train daily and today she is late due to extra hours in office. She is known for her boldness from her school days. She loves her parents and her life is similar to that of the serial heroines where everyone except the heroine is cruel minded.
She saw a young couple romancing at one end of the train. She smiled without her knowledge and turned the sight away from them to eliminate the embarrassment. Then she saw a lady with orange bag trying to sell it. She saw few college boys teasing one among them using a girl’s name. She also saw a husband and wife arguing at the peak of their voice about their tomorrow.
And how can I miss these extra-terrestrials in the train. Yes, there were aliens with the head phones on talking feebly or tapping the foot. Malini enjoyed these sights, but also at the back of her mind raju was flashing. She was not able to keep him out of her mind. Again her phone vibrated and she attended the call with great anger but before she spoke, raju told “Last time – Last time I would like to see your face. Please get down at chiteri station. I know you will…… bye” The call went dead.
Chiteri station is 5 minutes away. She has to make a decision now. She called up her mother and informed that she will be late. The train came to a halt at chiteri and when she was about to get down, she felt like someone is pulling her from the back. She turned back and found that kid (action hero) pulling her shawl from back. Then she got down and the train moved away in slow motion while raju came near her in slow motion.
Raju was about to open his mouth before which malini told “You want to see me. You have seen. Let me go. Good bye.”
Raju came running near her and told “Sorry for everything. Love you dear…” After that they had a heating argument for almost half an hour. Then finally she told “Give me time raju. I have a family. I will tell you tomorrow.”
Raju now smiled and told “No hurry… dear”. Raju saw his watch and told “It is very late already. I will give you a drop in your house.”
Both were about to move while many people came running from inside the station master room and police station. Raju stopped one of them to ask about the panic. The man replied “Few minutes back did you see a train crossing this way to arakkonam”
Malini repied casually “ya, I came in that train only”
The man gave a weird look and told “That train met with an accident few kilometers from here and according to the reports already 5+ people are dead and 50+ people are injured”
Hearing to the last few statements malini fainted and fell down. After few minutes she got up lying on the lap of raju in the chiteri station. She thought of the young couple, orange bag lady, college boys, fighting pair and the action hero…… She got up to her feet but was still shivering.
Malini’s eyes were wet when she told raju “Raju, Ladies were there in the train, young children were there and you know - even handicapped people were there…… I cannot digest this raju…… Whose mistake is this? Come on tell raju… whose mistake is this?”
Malini was literally shouting. Raju cleared the tears in her eyes saying “It is not mistake…… CARELESSNESS”
