The bus to School!!

Sometimes.. it feels that weekdays are so underrated. Along with the zillion thoughts running through my mind, laughing and giggling over chitchats with my besties at office, had drained most of my energy for the day. As the clock struck 20.30, I packed my bags with a profound energy, something which I always keep aside, to run towards my home once my 9 hours are efficiently utilized at work.. :P Answering my mom's call to inform about my current latitude and longitude and the velocity of me reaching home.. is a ritual I perform everyday with utmost sincerity. As I bid my bestie a goodbye and boarded the train, I took out my headphones to silently ignore the surroundings. I looked around and saw most of the women engrossed in their mobile phones. I being no different, turned on my playlist and started listening to songs with my eyes closed. Stations passed, people on-boarded, people alighted, I caught the next train and the songs played one after the other in my ears. Finally my station arrived and though I had a bit of energy still left, I started walking at a much faster pace than the rest. Walking down the bridge, my eyes glued towards the road to see any signs of an approaching BEST bus. There at the bus stop, I stood waiting for the bus. To pass my time and ignore the stares of people, I took out my phone and started reading whatsapp messages, alternating my gaze in between towards incoming vehicles. One of the messages was of some serious context and so I started reading it with keen interest. Seconds into it and a voice breaks my concentration, '' Hi Shruti!!! ''. The bus stop was in sheer darkness and the only lights glimmering were that of the vehicles on the road and of the CFLs from a distant floral shop. The voice was somewhat heavier and recognizable. I looked up at the person and the dim lights of the vehicles passing by revealed his face. Without a second I felt myself a decade younger, felt like the school going girl, for whom this person was one of the reasons her school days were so memorable. 'How are you?' he asked. 'I am fine', I said with a smile I couldn't contain. Looking at his face, his twinkling eyes, I noticed something was missing, something that used to differentiate him a bit from the rest. He had this habit of applying tilak on his forehead everyday, making him look like a decent boy. :D Today, there was no Tilak on his forehead..so I asked, ' You didn't apply Tilak today?' He said' No, today was an exception or else I apply it everyday.' The way he speaks with a calm tone.. no wonder he was such a beloved monitor. His choosing the profession of a teacher was of no surprise to me. The level of patience he had!! God!! I asked him ' You returning home from class?' he said 'Yes, We are meeting after such a long time!!' I nodded. Now I wished for the bus to arrive late coz I had so much to speak to him.. Human minds, I tell you..hehe..!! He said he didn't like to be much active on social platforms but he keeps up with the happenings and news. He said, ' I read your Whatsapp statuses too'. I said in my mind.. ''I know I notice it''. There was so much to tell him of the times when we dedicated songs.. I still listen to Kabhi Kabhi Aditi song which he had once dedicated to me... Of the times when he taught me 'How are you? ' in Kannada, Of the times when I scolded him for dangerously crossing a road during school picnic.. So many memories and so limited time to describe them.. Yet here he stood in front of me beaming with the same radiance he had a decade earlier and yet I couldn't tell him how thankful I am to have had him as a dear friend during my school days. 

This small reunion had brought back so many memories. We wished each other to meet again  and I hope that we meet again soon. He went ahead and my bus arrived. Never had I thought  that I would be happy for the bus delay. I onboarded the bus and with me I carried the revived memories and an uncontainable smile all the way to my home... !!