S8 39 Circar Express - part 4

continued from part 3

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For most part of the remaining journey I clung to the bars of window as if it would bring her back into the sight. I crossed Rajahmundry. I cursed myself for not recognizing her while having traveled with her all the evening the other day.

I felt like a kid lost in a fair, searching for his parents.

Back when I was in school she always had a special piece in my heart, she still has.

While some part of me kept saying 'dude you are overdoing things, just her name matches, there's fair probability that she is not whom you think she is'.

But I know it’s her (k I mean I'm kind of 70% sure).

I was so lost in thought that I forgot my dad will be coming to receive me; I walked all my way to my home. My mother embraced me and asked to call my dad and convey him about my arrival so he would stop waiting there and come back.

I had taken my bath which just happened while I was still in my deep thought...

I decided it’s no use thinking of her since anyway the story ended, come on! I don't think she will contact me. The sole point of contact was my email ID which she noted down on the back of her ticket which of course she might have lost already.

All I was able to do was sit back, relax and enjoy the much waited and anticipated home cooked food, which suddenly didn't seem to excite me enough.

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Luckily I was proven wrong.

She contacted me, yes you heard me right, she did. Though I wouldn't call it an awesome mail, but she contacted nevertheless.

'Hey this is Sonia, hope you've not forgotten me. Reply ASAP'

What else could I do other than replying, she has not even given her number , I mailed hr back.

'Hey of course I've not forgotten you, hey here is my number 805XXXXX08, reply me there I'll not be available on my mail for few days' (I lied . To expedite the talk and give her my number while at the same time not lowering myself).

Well that day I was expecting her msg so badly that I was quite irritated when I got so many msgs and none of them was from her. To add to my frustration I got two calls & three msgs from my service provider, Vodafone, with their usual annoying IVRS nuisance.

The next day a msg popped up

'How did you guess my last name? I skipped a heart beat when you said it.

-Sonia'

I wanted to call her immediately, coz I've so much to talk but I decided it would be a heavy dose if I tell her everything that instant, moreover I want her to guess rather than me giving out all the details. It doesn't really matter if she doesn't remember anything, and moreover I'm not quite sure myself.

I've to take some deep breaths to lessen my curiosity and settle down for a msg.

'May be I made a wild guess, what do you think?'

'That didn't seem like a wild guess, moreover I felt a tinge of recognition in your eyes when you said that & I feel familiar about you too but just that I can't exactly place you. '

Well that's a good sign, she felt familiar about me. :-) :-D

'Well you had your schooling in your Samalkot, staying at your aunt's, didn't you?'

'Hey this is not fair you seem to know a lot about me while I'm at complete loss of info, spill some beans already'

'I'll give you a clue, I'm elder to you by ten days'

'October 8, OMG!!! you don't say you are the RAVI of our school, Samalkot, do you?'

It took me fair amount of time to digest that she guessed me with first clue, & she actually remembers me.

'It's not in my hands not to say that, since that would be lying, & yeah I'm Ravi'.

I hardly got the delivery report of the msg when I got a call from her. I was not yet fully ready to take that but....

She didn't even say a hello she directly blurted out as if troubled by the fact 'but but you look entirely different, except for your skin tone nothing is same'

'I didn't have much choice, Situation demanded, haha. I get that a lot, even some of my close relatives had difficulty in recognizing me after I've gone to college, only puberty to blame, I guess.'

'What should I say I'm at loss of words, I never thought I'd meet you again, right from the starting of journey I was having a gut feeling that I know you that's the reason why I actually got engaged in conversation with you. I still can't believe it's you. OMG!!! Hey and I'm sorry I was not able to guess who you are. Why didn't you say this when we were on train?'

'That's okay, I got that only after you stepped out of train. Hey and I'm very happy that you still remember my B'Day'

'How could I forget your B’Day dumbo, it was you who always forgot my B’Day remember'

'Yeah, I remember that, Mahi'

There was a sudden silence, which I expected, I touched a raw nerve when I called her Mahi, the name reserved only to her intimate circle - her family members and me.

'You still remember that?' She asked with a cracking voice.

'How could I forget that, after all I'm the only person to have that honor besides your family.'

Another much longer silence, and I didn't want to interrupt her silence, coz I know a lot of things would be running in her mind at that moment, just like mine.

She broke that long silence saying 'I wanna meet you now.'

'Madam, sleep for today it's pretty late already, let's talk tomorrow, good night. I know we have a lot more to talk.'

'Good night, Pandu'

I knew there would be no sleep today, for either of us.

Not after I called her Mahi, the honor given to me on the very first day of meeting her, and only one in school to know that name. I want some time for myself to savor the moment which is why I've cut the call abruptly.

After all she still remembers me after all these years. I pinch myself to check if I’m in a dream. 'Ouch!' it hurts and for good.

I well remember the day she walked into our class for the first time with her iconic backpack. I still feel as if it happened yesterday. 

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click here for part 5