Oh! Those Blue Eyes.... - 4

The Coimbedu bus station. The station was severely lacking hygiene and the recent rain and storm caused havoc there. The station is filled with passengers, the people who came to send them off, the local people, flower venders, fruit venders and other people who would sell other things like snacks, nuts and things like that.

The station was filled with people and the some buses are parked in their allotted lots and others are just arriving. The passengers are walking around the buses to confirm their buses and they were bidding farewell to those who accompanied them till there. Some got in to their buses, confirmed their seats, placed their luggage in the respective places and again got off from the bus and again joined with the people who waited from them there. Some people were drinking coffee from the small tea shops in the station it self. Some people were fighting with the agents and with the people in the service provider’s office. Some were arguing with the agents for the last minute cancellation or for a ticket for an unavoidable sudden journey.

The multi axel Mercedes Benz luxury bus of Gee Pee Travels to Mumbai via Chennai and Bangaluru is getting ready to depart from the station. The passengers were seated in their respective seats and the driver and the assistant verified the situation once again before leaving and the driver ignited the engine after making a small prayer to his favourite God. The bus gave out a shriek and emitted smoke.

Suddenly a boy came running out from their travel office. He knocked the driver’s window and said something. The driver couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. So he told the young boy who used to be his assistant to get down from the bus and ask the boy what was the matter. Five minutes passed and the boy returned saying there is a passenger who needs an urgent ticket to Mumbai and since the bus has two seats free without any reservation, they wanted the driver to accommodate the passenger.

The driver didn’t want that last minute hurry and he was displeased with the changes the office makes at the last second. He muttered something in a low voice.

“Shall I call that passenger Anna (Brother)?” The boy asked the driver as he knows how the driver’s temper works in these kinds of situations.

“If I say no, would they agree?... No na?.... Then why are you straining yourself by asking such stupid questions?.... Go… Go… Get the person quick… It’s getting late already…” The driver said in a bitter tone and the boy ran quickly once again.

This time a pleasant aroma filled the place and everyone in the bus took a deep breath. Everyone’s eyes filled with eagerness and a lady in black burqa completely covered except for her eyes entered into the bus in soft steps. Everyone stunned at a look of her eyes. They are so magically beautiful. But she didn’t seem to care anybody and handed over the ticket to the driver.

He bought the ticket and came to the passenger’s cabin to have a look at the seating positions. All the seats are filled or otherwise reserved. The assistant driver told her in Tamil that all the seats are occupied and she must have to adjust somehow. She couldn’t understand anything he said but she nodded her head as if she understood everything he said.

Finally it was decided after a long discussion that the seat C2 to be allotted to her. She sat on the seat and the assistant boy took out her luggage and kept it in the storage area. She has a small bag in her hand and without saying a word she just closed her eyes and leaned on the head rest. Everyone in the bus tried to look at her in every possible ways. The rosy palms of her beautiful hands were very soft even for the eyes. The black healed sandals she wore couldn’t hide the beautiful toes of her. The sandals were decorated with white stones and suddenly she might have felt a feeling and opened her eyes. All the eyes stared at her were taken aback and she hid her feet under the seat and again she closed her eyes.

The bus left the station and started to travel through the Chennai – Bangaluru highway. The road was so smooth and the bus didn’t feel a shake and it flew as if in soft and smooth satin. The passengers in the bus seemed to settle down. Some began to sleep, some set the music mode in their mobiles and began to enjoy their favourite music, one passenger talked to somebody might be one of his family members over his mobile phone and informed about the current location status and some others munching snacks to kill time. The driver and his assistant also busy talking something and they were involved in some interesting subject. The life inside the bus seemed to be fine and smooth.

Al-Zarqa opened her eyes as she felt no motion of the bus. What she felt was right. The bus has been stopped. She stretched her head in search for a sign board or an address to know where the bus has stopped. She read the location written in the front of a stationary store at the road side. She read in her mind as V-E-L-L-O-R-E. Suddenly some big foot steps could be heard and she looked in the direction. A family entered into the bus with heavy luggage in both their hands. That was a husband and wife in their mid forties. They tried to drag in their entire big luggage to the bus. But the assistant refused to allow them to take them in.

“Look here… We have paid for the tickets for bringing our luggage too with us boy…” The man seemed to be very angry.

“Of course sir…. We are not saying you to leave them there…. What we are saying is we can’t all these heavy bags in as they may prove to be a disturbance to the co-passengers… But you can take the small bags which contain your most essential items inside the bus and we would keep all your other bags on the side storage cabin…. We promise you that they would be safe there….” The young boy softly but strictly said and that left the couple in disappointment.

The husband took out the ticket from his pocket and looked at each seats for their allotted seats and found his seats C2 and C3. But C3 Al-Zarqa was sitting. He looked at her and she looked him.

“This is our seat…” He said to her in Tamil. But she didn’t answer him and looked at him without any emotions.

The boy from the driver’s cabin came there in a hurry to settle things amicably.

“Sir, kindly excuse that lady… She is alone and we couldn’t tell her to sit near gents… Your wife can sit next to her and you can sit at D2…. It will be safe for her…” He recommended for Al-Zarqa to him. But even in that critical situation she didn’t open her mouth to say a word. All she had was a lifeless emotion in her eyes.

“Only you are defending her…. She is not at all saying a word in request… You are all same…. If it’s for a lady everyone will come supporting… Hmm…” He said with a dislike tone.

Everybody in the bus noticed that then. Even the driver thought what that man told was true. The man told his wife to sit on the window seat and he turned to the next seat D2 to sit. There was a man partly sitting and partly lying on the seat D3 completely covering himself with a blanket. He also has occupied half of the seat D2. He was in deep sleep and was not at all aware of the things going around him.

The family man has an instant dislike over the man who was sleeping. He tried to wake him up. But it was of no use. This made him more irritated and he didn’t want to compromise any further.

“See, I can’t sit with this guy… He seemed to have drunk and I don’t want to spoil my peace by sitting with him throughout my journey….” He said angrily.

“But… He is sleeping sir and not causing anybody any trouble…. Moreover you can sit next to him but how can I ask that lady to sit next to him?....” The boy told him in a low voice. But the family man was very adamant.

“That and all I don’t want to hear…. I don’t want to sit in that seat. I need my seat…. He is not going to sleep all the way, is he?...” He was very stern.

“Yes sir…. You are very true….. These drunkards spoil everyone’s peace around them…. Why should you sit near him to invite troubles?….” Suddenly the young man who was sitting in the single seat of D1 gave his voice in support of the family man.

This irritated the boy very much. He got a bit angry too.

“Who asked for your opinion sir?.... You got your seat safely, right?.... Then please don’t poke your nose in others matter and make the situation worse….” The boy was obviously angry and losing patience. He left for the driver’s cabin and came with him.

“OK sir…. If you don’t want to sit with him then you please sit in your seat… We would tell that lady to sit near that man….” The driver was on the verge of his patience and he told Al-Zarqa to get up from that seat and to give room for that man.

Though Al-Zarqa didn’t understand what he said but could realize the matter from his actions. So she stood up and allowed the man sit where she sat before. But she still had nothing to talk.

As she was ready to sit with the sleeping man, suddenly the man who was sitting in the seat D1 stood up and told the driver that he would sit in D2 if that sleeping man was woken up by the driver and reseated at D1 but at the same time he wouldn’t sit with the drunkard leaving the lady to sit alone at D1.

Seeing the big drama almost all the other passengers lost their patience and they showed their impatience in their faces and murmurs.

The driver had no other choice other than waking up that sleeping man.

“Sir! Sir!.... He shook him by his shoulder and the man slightly opened his eyes and asked what he wanted.

“Will you please change your seat from here to D1?.... We have to allow this two people to sit…” He pointed out at Al-Zarqa and the man from D1 who was now standing next to her.

The man got up in his seat and sat silent for a while then he slowly stood up from there and moved to the seat the driver showed him. Immediately after sitting there he began to sleep and covered himself full in blanket. Then Al-Zarqa sat at D2 and that young man from D1 sat at D3.

The driver muttered something in low voice and left the place to his cabin to start the bus. The assistant boy let out a big sigh of relief and at the same time he wondered why that lady didn’t utter a word all that time and he really doubted that there was something really wrong with her. Everything seemed to go back to position and the bus started again from Vellore after 30 minutes delay.


(To be continued):coffee

 

Dear Aruna

Thank you for your first FB.

I know the chapter is full of technical description and may be a little exhaustive to read but what to do the next chapters and the smooth flow of the story need it badly. kindly bear with me.

Hope the story is liked by you and I hope to give interesting chapters soon.

GOD bless and Take care...

Love,

Simi..

 

Thank you so much sofea for the feed back.

Is it? Do you think that guy is going to be her man? Well... Lets hope so

Please keep on reading the upcoming chapters and type in your FBs.

GOD bless....

 

Thank you Bhoomika for the FB. Will try to post it soon.

Please keep reading.

Regards...