“I am not much fond of this place. The trains are always crowded and the crowd is claustrophobic.”
“Let me guess, you got married here.”
“Yes. It’s been a year. Actually, my husband is also not from here. But he has been working here for the last 5 years. So, we thought coming here was a better option. But the two-hour journey each day is just killing!”
“It’s tiring for everyone. But that is how life is here in Mumbai and the opportunities that one finds here can rarely be got at some other place.”
“True. Hi, I am Amita.”
“That’s a beautiful name, I am Renuka.”
“Are you a localite? I am sorry if I have offended you.”
“No, I am not offended. But much like you, I too am here for the opportunities galore offered by this city. I am a travel writer and I had to make a choice between Delhi and Mumbai.”
“You are a writer?” asked a third voice.
Amita and Renuka both looked towards their right. The girls were surprised since they never realized somebody could be eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Yes.”
“Which magazine?”
“It’s the Travel and Living.”
“Oh, that’s a great magazine! I subscribe to it as well. I am Ruchi, by the way.”
“Amita”
“Renuka”
“Give me your numbers, Amita and Renuka, we need to stay in touch.”
‘Of course not’ was what the girls wanted to tell Ruchi. But they looked blankly at each other’s faces, wondering what to do. In the meantime, Ruchi took out her mobile and said, “give me your number, Renuka.”
Both the girls quietly gave their numbers to Renuka.
“I work in a bank. And for the past 5 years, I am stuck in this city. It’s a never ending journey here, one that is quite lonely.”
Renuka looked down on her mobile and quickly called her home. She continued talking while the girls continued chatting. Then she got up as her stop was approaching, waved a goodbye to the girls and got down.
“You will never believe it, Bro. I just met a psycho in my first class compartment.”
“A psycho?”
“yep! This girl was eavesdropping on me and another girl and asked us for our numbers.”
“So how did you refuse?”
“We didn’t. We just couldn’t.”
“Wait a minute. You were the one talking to a complete stranger and sharing your details. You gave away your number. I think the lines of psychosis are pretty blurred in this case.”
“What do mean by that?”
“I am calling you a psycho.”
“Why me?”
“A psycho is a person who lacks emotion and compassion. Think about it, Renuka. Ruchi is just lonely. She saw two good people worth talking and grabbed the opportunity to chat with them. She was acting on her emotions. Whereas you my little sister are completely lacking in compassion and sympathy towards this stranger.”
“Wow I did not see it in that way, bro.”
“Well, you can thank me when we meet, sis.”
~ A Story By Fizaah Faiyaz, © 2015
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