Aastha came running towards the Platform at CST, Mumbai. She was worried thinking that she had missed her train to Pune. It was difficult for her to carry the bag and hurrying ahead wearing her beautiful engagement lehenga. She hurried to the office to inquire about the train. Luckily the train was delayed by half-an-hour. "Thank you Bappa!" said Aastha relieved to know that the train was yet to arrive. She went to the waiting room and sat down on a chair. She gulped down some water from the bottle she was carrying and relaxed for a moment. Her phone began ringing. "Ajinkya Kaka calling..." was flashing on the screen. She shut her eyes in frustration and set her phone on silent mode. She had already received 17 missed calls from Ajinkya. She was fed up of him now. How she wished she could switch her phone off! But she was expecting call from Shlok. Shlok was supposed to be with her right now.
Aastha searched the platform but didn't find Shlok anywhere. She tried to call him several times but his phone was not reachable. Now Aastha was worried. She was supposed to be going to Pune with Shlok. But where was he??
Ajinkya was continuously trying to cantact Aastha. She hoped he didn't find her. She just wanted to get away from this place. And she trusted Shlok for it. But he was nowhere to be found.
Aastha sat on a bench on the platform. She didn't know why Shlok didn't show up. She felt helpless and weak. But then the thought of Ajinkya gave her strength to run away. She was determined to board the train. Without Shlok? So be it! She thought. And it was not just about Shlok. She was longing to meet her father since the day he had suddenly disappeared a few months ago. Her father, Avdhoot, was her responsibility now...
Aastha suddenly noticed people around staring at her. Then she realised that she was wearing all those ornaments for her engagement function and she had not got time to remove them. She took off all the ornaments... and tying them in a handkerchief, she put them deep inside her bag.
*****
The train arrived. Aastha got up and started walking, searching for her bogie. She felt as if someone was following her. She turned back to see no one in particular. She just hoped that Ajinkya didn't see her at the station. She quickened her steps. She could hear steps behind her quicken too. Now she was more scared. She almost began running and quickly got into her bogie. She searched for her seat and sat down covering her face with her dupatta so that no one could recognise her. She tried calling Shlok but couldn't connect. Her heart was pounding. "Where are you Shlok!" she said in frustration. "You should not have left me alone... Atleast not today!!"
Just then she heard someone call out her name. "Aastha?"
She missed a beat. It wasn't Shlok's voice. Someone was calling her through the window. For a moment she just hoped it was not Ajinkya. She looked out to find a guy she had never seen before. "He may be Ajinkya Kaka's man..." she thought. She was more scared. She just looked away ignoring the man and praying that the train began moving soon. And the next moment, she heard the whistle blow and the train began moving, as if her prayer was heard.
But the man wasn't leaving. He moved with the train calling out to Aastha. When she avoided reacting to him, and the train caught up speed, he dropped in an envelope through the window telling Aastha that it was for her. Before Aastha could realise anything, the train had left the platform.
Aastha heaved a sigh of relief. She looked at the letter fallen near her feet. She picked it up with trembling hands. The envelope was blank, nothing written on it. She wondered what was inside. She opened it and found a paper. It was not just a paper, it was a letter... A letter written by Shlok!
Aastha's eyes watered as she read through the letter. She took a deep breath as she finished reading. There were mixed emotions on her face... Sadness, surprise, confusion, concern, fear... But somewhere, there was hope, there was belief... She put the letter back into the envelope and carefully kept it in her bag. She sat there looking out from the window and smiled through her tears as her mind raced back through her memory lane...
*****
