An awakening tug or trance-formed ?

He hurriedly packed a sandwich and stuffed it into his bag, threw a quick glance at himself in the dappled mirror, as he rushed out on a cold and windy day, locking the door behind him. Walking with long strides, a little spring in his step, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the biting, but invigorating nip in the air.

His mind was at ease, yet excited, a strange sense of warmth enveloped him. He felt a certain connect with the entire universe. He watched the morning rush as people of all colours and sizes scurried around to keep pace with the clock. Time and tide wait for none, was the thought that came to his mind as he stepped on to the bus, with a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He was twenty five, well-built and extremely attractive or so he had been often told in the last two years in school, when the girls swooned over him. He however, preferred to remain aloof then and even now, not really giving much credence to what they said. Girls were not on his spectrum just yet. Was he normal he thought to himself, taking in the others on the bus, unmindfully.

Managing a window seat he gazed at the clean tree lined avenue, the colours of autumn lending an ochre-rust hue to the scene outside, as the bus cruised along. This had been his routine for the past several months; just about managing to stay alive and reaching office on time. But, the little details en route made his day, on the hour long drive to work. Reclining a little in his seat he took in each and every detail of the city, he had learnt to call home over the past one year.

He was usually awake in the bus, wide eyed and full of awe at the beauty that he passed by every day, almost too alert to catch a cat nap, certainly not in the morning, though. Lost in reverie or a near stupor he suddenly felt a soft tap on his shoulder and languidly opened his eyes, only to stare into a wispy face with the softest of honey coloured eyes. A voice with a sweet timbre said please wake up, your destination has arrived. Sitting up a little shaken and breaking out of the trance like nap he’d fallen into, he picked up his bag and alighted, not having the courage to look back to see who had woken him.

At office he plunged himself into work, there was loads to do particularly on a Monday. Answering calls, taking notes and delegating work to a team of six dedicated workers on the factory floor. He loved his job, was happy to be making a difference in a billion dollar company and wanted to be a name to reckon with by the time he hit thirty. Sometimes he’d do a complete re-run of a road map he had laid out for himself ever since he was a little boy at school. He loved adventure sports so had stowed away some money for just that, footloose and fancy free travel.

But he knew only too well if he didn’t work hard enough he wouldn’t be someone to reckon with; he wouldn’t even be able to keep his job in this cut throat world, and so he slogged day in and day out.

He forgot all about the sandwich stowed away in his bag and had a quick bite at the office canteen. He was also usually the first one to get back to his desk after lunch, never one to linger outside for too long. He didn’t smoke either so didn’t hang out with the few who did. He had a fixed schedule, two days he had to go to the factory and three days at office. Things were fine he felt and shaping up the way he had envisaged. Though, he wasn’t a softie or a mama’s boy he often called her to tell her how he was doing with an odd call to dad too. He was the only son.

Soon it was time to get back home, a small bachelor pad. At the bus stop he would often feed the squirrels with little biscuit crumbs or leftovers from lunch which he sometimes carried along as the breakfast he rarely managed.  He lived as a paying guest with a young couple, with a three year old daughter. He barely interacted with them either as they were a working couple too, but had sublet one room to earn a little extra. Times were hard he thought and sometimes played with their little angel before hitting the track to jog every evening.  

And so life went on. Three years passed by. He still followed the same routine. He had been on two adventure trips, got a promotion and was closer to his goal. His bachelor pad looked warmer and had some interesting furniture and artefacts he’d picked up on his lazy jaunts.

No binging, clubbing or anything else for him. He felt closer to his dream.  Only thrice again in the three years had he seen the same soft face. He was baffled and didn’t know if he was hallucinating, stressed or just a little affected. It was always on the bus, nowhere else, it was always the same sentence whispered in the same timbre of voice.

He ran the voice and the eyes several times through his head but couldn’t make anything of it. Another year passed and he was now twenty nine, just a year away from his goal of making a name for himself, or becoming a name to reckon with. His bosses were happy too; he rarely took leave, except for the adventure trips which were planned well in advance. Parents had visited twice and were happy with his progress.  

It was pouring heavily and for some odd reason he had missed the last bus home. He took a lift from a colleague who lived in the same direction short of his house. He loved the rain, so asked his colleague to drop him on the main road, so that he could walk home. The rain had petered off a little; being Friday he was in casuals unlike his business suit on the three office days, so wasn’t worried about getting drenched.

It started to pour again. He continued walking on the pavement, long quick strides. Suddenly there was a screeching sound as a car swerved around the corner barely missing a waif life pedestrian who just somehow landed like a ball of cotton wool at his feet; he almost tripped over the bundle. Flummoxed and looking across the street to see what had caused the confusion he saw the white turning a blood red. To his horror he saw a girl, eyes closed and unconscious clutching her stomach as blood oozed on to the pavement and his feet, quickly making strange patterns in the puddle that was forming and yet not forming at his feet.

Not knowing what to do he called for an ambulance and went with her as she lay pale and lifeless in a sheer white flowing dress wondering who she was where she was going and why had she no bag no identification on her.

He waited for what seemed like a lifetime for the formalities to be done while she was wheeled away into the emergency room. He waited on the bench outside till he was drowsy and fell asleep to be rudely awakened by a nurse saying, “Please go meet her, you saved her life.” Not making much of whom and what she was talking about, he blindly followed the nurse. He looked disheveled and spaced out almost in need of some medication himself and just as he turned the corner, in his head he heard the voice again, repeating the same sentence, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head before he entered the ward, he closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them he was aghast, on the hospital bed in front of him was propped up a frail, extremely beautiful girl. She lay almost lifeless, as if made of stone. The nurse touched her almost inert wrist and said, “Madam, the man who saved you is here,” there was a reverence in her voice as she said ma’am. Completely confused now, he came closer to the bed as the nurse gesticulated to him. The almost comatose frail figure opened her eyes in what seemed like a slow motion silent movie moment and looked at him.

He was by now in complete shock, it was as if he’s turned to stone, his throat felt parched and his pulse was racing. They were the very same soft brown eyes he had persistently seen in the past few years. And then she slowly and painfully lifted her arm, extending it to him in a handshake and said, “Please wake up, you have reached your destination”, in the same voice he had played in his head forever. Did she say that or was it something he just heard. He stood rooted to the spot unable to move.

A few months later, just few days from his thirtieth birthday, he was summoned by the chairman of the company, not the norm usually.  He was dressed in his best suit, looked dapper and confident and walked into the huge oval office. After a brief exchange of pleasantries he was handed an envelope by the reticent chairman, with a rider to open it in his own cabin. He walked out thinking there goes a job I worked so hard for perhaps, unable to open the white sparkling envelope.

As he sat down in his cabin to open the crisp paper envelope, his happiness knew no bounds, his hard work and focus had paid off, he had been appointed the vice president of the company, unanimously supported by all. He stared at the paper a sense of triumph washing over him, riveted to the chair he sat for what seemed like eternity. He heard the voice again but did not move, till a soft touch on his shoulder made him turn around and he was staring into the soft brown eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, who again said, wake up you have reached your destination. Unable to take it anymore he lashed out almost hitting her to see if she were real, when the chairman walked into his cabin and said, congratulations on your new post and meet a new team member our head of operations, pointing to the soft eyed lady in the cabin. Stupefied all he could muster was thank you sir and how do you do?

She was real, he thought to himself as he reached home that evening and entered his bachelor pad, wondering why the lights in his room were on, may be he’d forgotten to switch them off in the morning. The couple and their little girl didn’t seem to be home either, he thought.

Loosening his tie, he sank into the comfortable recliner in his room wondering that something was amiss. Soft music and a whiff of feminine perfume, he opened his eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light and there she was right in front of him, whispering, happy thirtieth birthday, you have finally reached your destination… He chuckled to himself and said aloud, “I must go to a shrink tomorrow, I think I have lost it at thirty, perhaps I am a burn out,” and closed his eyes again.  When he opened his eyes again, she was close to him, wake up it is time for office, and we need to catch the bus…

 © Copyright Suverchala Kashyap