Love witnessed

It happened to be one of those days, when nothing turned out in your favor.

Happy and cheerful was how you would have described my mood when i got into the train, after having some good time back home. I was thinking of how less often this seemed to happen these days. I more often carried my tensions and temper along with me for a treat at home, this time being an exception. So, after the few days' stay at home, my mind was busy trying to pack up all the fun, the special moments of love, and laughter i chanced upon, so that i could carry it back as a beautifully wrapped gift to the college, to keep safe till my next visit. I was so occupied in this job, I even forgot to say a proper bye to my mom!

This lasted for a few hours, (!!) once I was done with my packing up (mentally!) I got set to sleep. I didn't realise how the clock had ticked by until it was 4 a.m and I realised I hadn't caught up with any more than a few tens of minutes of sleep. When I reached the Sec-bad station at 6, I seemed to have been carrying swollen eyes and a patetic looking face, with the eye balls almost bulging out of their sockets. (Wonder how the on-lookers managed to hang on to dear life by the look of me.. )

It was then that it hit me, more troubles were on their way. I had missed the regular local train to come to college, and I had to wait for an hour more, hunger growling in my eyes for sleep, and in my tummy for food, the station being nearly uninhabited except for those early morning workers who had to go to hitech-city. My phone had run out of charge, and I, out of energy.

I had given it much thought earlier as well, of how it would be to have a brother, but the whole idea was never very clear in my mind. It was just in those few lazy early morning minutes that I had witnessed some of 'their' precious moments. After all, the day was not so bad, something was turning out to be cheerful, or rather memorable and touching to me. Out from the Charminar express in front of me, popped one girl, perhaps newly into a job, carrying two big bags along. Beating against the early hour laziness, her eyes were busy searching for someone, someone who had shared her blood, who had lived with her all these years, whom she must have fought with so often, whom she loved so much, her brother! Ofcourse, I didn't know this until the consequent events happened, I thought she was waiting for someone else! :P I think one has to stand by and watch to understand and digest, and later describe the significance of the moment, and the beauty it carried. (It was the day of Rakshabandhan) The girl had come to the station all the way from Chennai (I assume) just to tie a Rakhi to her brother, and then catch up another train to go somewhre else! The happiness she radiated when she successfully finished her errand, when she tied the rakhi and gave him one big baggage of Peppe-Jeans clothes (this is why i think she must have joined in a job newly ;) ) and in return got one small, yet stunningly dazzling under the light, gold bracelet, as a gift, is something that can only be experienced. Given my luck in this life, I haven't though. It must not have been more than a ten minute exchange between the two of them, but it showed the love one carried for the other. A long hug, and a few tears were what was left of that moment when the girl finally bid bye to her brother to catch up some other train. Something had touched my heart, it began to melt, and wish I had a brother, I intensely felt. It was not for the gifts, or not for the sake of having someone to tie a rakhi to, but for some feelings that are beyond what words can say. I was still lost deep in thoughts, trying to empathise with the two of them who had just made a scene for me, when someone or something raced past me, leaving everyone glued to their place to see what was happening. Perhaps because I was lost far away, or perhaps it was the speed, I could not make out what or who had moved that way. It took me a minute to adjust back to the humanless-turned-busy station to grasp that the scene had shifted to another girl, who was for a minute the center of attraction on the stage. She too had just gotten down the Charminar express, and had been looking out for someone, this time, her dad..! I had seriously, never before seen anyone more happier or excited, more than a kid, to see one's father . The fact lies that she actually forgot her luggage somewhere on the platform just to run to her father about 30 feet away, and hug him ! Sitting back, relaxed, now I begin to recapitulate, this is how I used to feel back in the first year of college, when I went home once in 2-3 months, I only felt over joyed, and my eyes felt they would not let a moment get wasted by spilling tears, only thing missed : I never hugged my father!

Perhaps this is what love is, perhaps this is how it is shown, I wonder! These things, these little tokens of love, these public displays of affection, given how they are, they linger in one's mind, remain in memories for a long time....