She looks familiar

 

The train was maintaining good speed and was on a curve.  The inner rail is slightly lower than the outer rail in a curve to counter the centrifugal force generated as the train negotiates the turn at high speed.  As he walked up the coach passage, he felt the tilt and the countering C force.  While delicately balancing and walking his body moved with the force and although he held to the berth, he had to support himself by leaning to the opposite pillar or edge of the berth to steady himself.  His sight fell on the girl sitting on the side seat looking out of the window.  He felt that he had seen her earlier, there was a familiar ring.  A nice face he thought as he walked ahead giving way to the canteen coffee vendor. 

2.      The face came back.  The brightness of the open window highlighted her features and colour.  He could not, however, recollect where he had seen her.  Although it was very brief, he had the picture very vividly in his mind.  Sometimes you look for green mangoes on a tree and are not able to see any among the leaves.  But he could somehow now remember seeing her earrings.  Turquoise blue umbrella-shaped contraption hanging down her ear lobes swinging to the momentum of the train.  He did not recollect observing it when he passed her but now his mind was able to reproduce the scene so clearly.  He felt he had a photographic memory. 

3.      There was some kind of an urge to go back and try to remember who she is and where he had seen her.  He was travelling alone and in the adjacent compartment.  Both were sleeper coaches.  His destination was Delhi and it was more than 24 hours away.  He was sure to unravel this mystery before that.  It is funny that he could see the floral pattern of her dress, the long pink fingernails and other details in the crystal picture his mind has captured.  He was surprised with himself for being able to remember so much detail from a fleeting glimpse.  There was an urge to compare and confirm his mental picture details with the actual.  The train was over the Krishna river and had slowed down considerably.  However, his mind’s eyes were elsewhere.  The novel he was reading remained without any progress.  He scanned his memory like we scan our photo library in our mobiles to see if he could get some clue.  In his mental folders of relatives, friends, colleagues or acquaintances he was unable to unearth any familiarity.  It was a little annoying and curious at the same time. 

4.      As it became darker the setting sun got weaker or is it the other way round?  With the train taking another turn the setting sun seems to be running faster than the train.  When you stare out of a running train in an unfocused manner, in a dreamlike trance these absurd scenes are visible.  The moon rapidly moving over the train or the distant palm trees moving along the train while the closer objects move away faster.  He could not somehow erase the sharp picture of the girl.  He could not make himself go for another stroll.  The vendor came with hot vadas and the aroma pulled at him like a nose string.  He bought a plate consisting of three vadas.  The curry leaves, the occasional bite into the green chillis bought back memories of his mother back home and the crowd of relatives.  Involuntarily he gave a deep sigh. 

5.      However much he gets other memories, the sharp picture of the girl kept coming back like an irritating mosquito.  He had dinner ordered online and delivered at Bhopal.  The sense of something missing, an unsolved mystery feeling lingered as he dosed off to the lullaby of the running train.  He dreamt of his sister’s wedding the large gathering of friends and relatives, the noise, food, fun and laughter. He got up early morning perhaps because of the general clatter as passengers got ready to get down.  He had nothing much to pack.  As he kept lying down on the top berth the picture popped up like any popup, without any provocation and superimposing all others.  With it came the flashback of the unsolved mystery.  He could see her face clearly, could still feel the strong anamnesis of the familiarity.  It was perhaps the context that was missing and he was not able to connect or relate.

6.      The train reached its destination and he too scrambled down and walked out of the train with a feel of uncompleted homework.  On the platform, he saw her as he walked towards the foot over bridge.  Did he perceive a smile or was his imagination playing tricks?  She suddenly rushed to him and said, ‘aren’t you Giri?’

*****