Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Perception Problem!!

I was all excited to make my first trip to Delhi, traveling alone for the very first time. One thing that stands out about Rajdhani express a/c first class is that they serve freshly cooked food in first class and not the usual packed food. I reached Mumbai central on time. As usual I checked the reservation chart before boarding the train. The compartment allotted to me just had two seats and my fellow passenger was some f 24.
Snacks were served as soon as the train started. I had forgotten my mp3 player and was really getting bored. I briefly introduced myself to the beautiful damsel (I was assuming she was unmarried) sitting in front of me. She was casually dressed and carried a grim look. Although she had beautiful eyes, they didn’t seem to express too much. As my small introduction came to an end, she continued to sip on her coffee. She just didn’t seem interested. It felt really awkward. There was a sense of arrogance…no!! She was out rightly arrogant!! I called for the staff and asked him to get me a magazine.
It was soon time for dinner. It was strangely silent even during dinner and by now I was really cursing her for having shared up space with me and spoiling, in what could have been the most exciting journey of my life-my first travel alone. I had so looked forward to it. After having my dessert I lied down on the berth still holding on to the worst magazine of all times. I just couldn’t have read it. I was disturbed still trying to figure out what had gone wrong. She looked unperturbed and kept looking at that one single point ever since she had boarded the train with a constant expression on her face. I switched off the light and went off to sleep. I had never been this silent. It was like I was getting punished for a serious crime and the worst part was that I couldn’t help but recollect what wrong I had done.
The longest seeming fifteen hour journey was finally coming to an end. I got up late as I always do and called for coffee. Something was missing. The lady was gone. I heaved a huge sigh of relief, because it is really disturbing when your fellow passengers are weird. There is something about it and you just don’t feel good. But now the sadness part was finally away and I could lie down in peace. Later when breakfast was being served, the waiter passed on a small piece of paper. It was a letter written in the most beautiful hand writing I’d ever seen. She had written it. After having cursed her all night long for the arrogant behavior I didn’t feel like reading it. I kept it away. But within five minutes I grew curious, obviously. It was the most shocking letter I had ever come across. I had never felt this bad. My perception was all wrong. Natasha was on the run trying to avoid marriage which was being forced upon her by her parents. She had a certain class which helped me assume that she hailed from an educated and a rich family. And the fact that such sad incidents take place even in affluent and educated families made me even sad. But this was not all. Just before getting on board she came to know that both her parents had committed suicide. I was numb!!!

“It’s not always the other person’s fault, sometimes you just don’t read it.”