Eight Minutes Love Story

It was a beautiful journey. I was sitting at window seat like I normally do irrespective of who my companion is. The beauty outside was such that it can't be described in words. The rain drops were striking against the window glass and I was getting desperate to feel the droplets but couldn't. The train was moving on the mountain tracks like a snake does. I was enjoying the view outside which the zigzag move of the train bringing for me. It stopped at a small station for a while. I was still lost in the beauty the nature was offering at that very moment. I was so lost that I couldn't hear or see what was going on inside and who was coming in or leaving from my compartment. I was thinking like it was my last journey of life and so was trying to enjoy it fully.

Though I was wearing quite enough apparels but still I was shivering as she noticed but I didn't. Probably she was wondering as if the journey was more interesting than her. She offered me a cup of tea.

"Please have this, you are shivering of cold", a caring voice hit my ears,"and shut the window if you please".

"No, no. I'm fine", I said. At this moment I realized that I was actually shivering. How crazy I was?

She was sitting right in front of me. She would have come in at the last station. She offered again.

"Please have this, don't hesitate", she insisted. I took the hot cup of tea from the hot one (not to take it otherwise) sitting against me.

I was trying to begin a conversation but all I could do was to stare her from one corner of my eye and look outside from the other. She started the conversation and I thanked God.

"Actually my family is in next compartment. I stepped down to buy a couple of cups of tea. The train moved on, so I got in this compartment. I'd catch them at the next station which is just eight minutes away."

Her last sentence brought me back to my senses. I took back my 'Thank You' from God. How could the destiny do it to me? The journey (I mean, the love journey) had just begun and she was about to leave in halfway. (Yeah, I could actually feel my love for her, though it was just three minutes old. What? Three minutes had already passed). I was praying that somehow the wheels of time forget to move ahead.

"Oh, I see", I said sipping the hot tea which had become cold by then. I was finding words to make the conversation going. "Where are you from and where are you going to", I gathered my courage to ask such a cowardice question.

"I'm from Bangalore and me and my family are going to spend some days at beautiful places of Kashmir", she replied.

"What is your name", she asked.

"Dee...", I was saying when she exclaimed,"Hey, thats my station". "...pak", I completed my name in my heart.

She got up and left the compartment. My eyes followed her until she was gone out of sight. At the platform, she waved me and I waved her back through the window. I was about to ask her name but she was already turned her face to the other side.

The train moved again. I was no more viewing outside. I was staring at the seat in front of me. I realized that it is not the road we leave behind in a journey, not the trees and the farms either. But it is the - memories - we leave behind which make us remember the journey. The more we leave behind the memories the more they catch hold of us.

Next station was my stop. I looked for her but couldn't find her. The train moved and I waved it from behind. From that day on, I started to love the tea, specially offered ones.