Oh! Those Blue Eyes.... - 6

Everybody got down from the bus. The driver was standing near the front left tyre with his assistant. He was examining the tyres and he was disappointed. He made some calls in his mobile phone. The people who got down from the bus gathered near the driver and they were enquiring about the seriousness of the situation.

The man who was sleeping so deep was shattered away from his sleep by the heart striking sound evolved from the bus. He sat erect and looked all around. The whole bus was vacant except for him and the burqa covered lady beside. He looked at her blue eyes. She looked at him for a second and that single second was enough for him to understand the misery and mystery prevailed in her eyes.

He opened his mouth as if wanted to ask something but the next second he closed his mouth. He searched for his bag and took out a bottle of water and got ready to get down from the bus.

“Excuse me…” He said and crossed her.

The people were all gathered around the driver to know the latest updates.

“Seems that it would take some hours around to repair the bus. It was not a tyre puncture and it needs immediate attention from the company service guys. They are on their way here. So kindly excuse us for this unexpected inconvenience.” The driver tried his level best to explain the situation.

The people showed their irritation in their face and they were murmuring. Some people looked in their watches, some were making phone calls and some went back inside the bus.

The driver came near a small gathering of passengers and informed them that if they wanted to refresh they could travel back two kilometers in the same road to find a small roadside restaurant. There they could eat and finish their immediate needs. Then the driver gave the name of the restaurant. Some people on the bus noticed that restaurant already when the bus passed that place. That was really a great news for them as some of them started to feel hungry and some had to pay attention to nature’s call. They looked relieved by the news.

The happy news spread fast and the people started to walk in search of that restaurant. Somebody gave the phone number to the driver and asked him to call him once the bus was ready. The driver requested the passengers to travel in groups and not alone as it was an unknown place for them and there were scarcely few people as pedestrians. On the two sides of the road there were big vineyards present. The time was nearing dusk and darkness started to cover up from the eastern horizon.

Some walked in small groups talking and enjoying the scenes, some took auto rickshaws rarely went that way without people and some young men tried to get lifts in cars. Somehow, within ten fifteen minutes the whole area surrounding that luxury bus became vacant except for the driver, his assistant, the man who was sitting next to Al-Zarqa and Al-Zarqa herself.

She was sitting inside the bus. She didn’t dare to come out. Some unknown fears haunted her. She was looking at the great vineyard and at the green grapes bunches hanging down from them beautifully. She couldn’t stop admiring them though she was mentally upset and physically exhausted. Suddenly she felt a vibration in her bag which she was holding very tight in her arms. She looked around her to confirm no one was around. Then she opened her bag and took out a small new mobile which was in its vibration mode and was blinking with some numbers in the display.

She attended the call and talked in a very low husky voice. The call didn’t last for more than a minute. She cut the call and typed something in that very quickly. Then she switched off the mobile and kept it back in her back. Just after a second she saw the man who was sitting beside her was coming towards her.

She turned her face harsh and expressionless. The man neared her and he stood just in front of her and showed an action using his finger in a way if she had something to eat or she wanted him to buy some eatables for her. She immediately understood his sign language because for the past few hours one or other was talking to her in sign language.

She nodded negative. He didn’t waste time then and left off the bus immediately. He went to the driver. He was sitting near the bus in a foldable chair and the assistant boy was standing near him and talking.

“Don’t you feel hungry Sir?” The man asked the driver.

The driver looked at him a bit surprised. Someone was addressing him like that and the politeness in his voice made him wonder.

“I have my food sir… You know…. The people like us can’t afford from these costly food from the restaurant unless there is some real emergency…. My wife always packs me some home made food in my duty… But after a meal or two I have to eat this dry bread and jam….” He smiled.

“By the way… Where are you going, Sir?” The driver asked him. He felt a little intimate with him. The driver never thought that the man who showed a rough behavior some three hours before had such a wonderful nature of well behaving in him.

“Well…. I…. I am going to Mumbai to meet a friend of mine…. By the way, you don’t have to call me sir… I think I am much younger to you… Call me Sanjay… That’s enough…” He said with a soft smile on his face.

The driver liked his character. He had so many bitter experiences from the young men in his long service as a bus driver. He was kind of getting him used to it. But this man was definitely an exception. The roughness in his character was just a covering. Underneath he was a good human being with all the good qualities. Those five or ten minutes were more than enough for him to understand his character or at least he thought so.

“That young lady is sitting inside the bus…” The assistant boy told the driver.

“Poor thing…. She can’t talk and all alone by herself. She looks as if from a well off family… But why no one is accompanying her?.... See, the way of the world…..” The driver talked to Sanjay. He explained him everything from the moment she got into the bus to a minute ago. But he didn’t reply.

Ten or fifteen minutes passed, Sanjay got up from the chair which was offered to him by the driver and went once again into the bus. Al-Zarqa was sitting as if in a spell. Her eyes were closed and the veil covered her face was slightly making a rhythmic movement proving that she was still alive and breathing.

Sanjay took a small paper bit from his valet and scribbled something on it. He then softly patted on her shoulder to wake her up. This time she opened her beautiful eyes very slowly and she was not shocked to receive that touch. He put that piece of paper in front her eyes, so that she could read what was written on that.

I KNOW YOU ARE HUNGRY; I KNOW YOU CAN’T TALK; BUT HOPE CAN READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS. I AM GOING TO THE NEARBY RESTAURANT TO HAVE MY DINNER. IF YOU WANT YOU TOO CAN COME WITH ME. OTHERWISE CAN I GET YOU SOMETHING TO EAT?

Al-Zarqa’s beautiful eyes moved here and there to read that note. She then looked at him and nodded that she didn’t want to accompany her or a parcel to be bought for her. He stood there looking at her face for a while. He could clearly see the hunger in her eyes and the tiredness. Somewhere in a corner of his heart he felt a pain for her. He wondered the face where those beautiful eyes belonged must be very beautiful. At the same time he cursed the destiny which prevented her from talking sweet things to her folks and to her loved ones.

Suddenly he felt it was not a good thing to stare at her face as she might take it in a wrong way. So he took off his eyes from her charming eyes and left the place. He thought of going to the restaurant immediately but something in him prevented him from going. Sometimes we can’t explain certain feelings and it was one such. So he again sat on the chair and involved talking to the driver. The driver told him that it might take some 5 to six hours more to repair the bus as the mechanics might reach only after one hour or so. He was cursing the day.

Suddenly they felt a soft familiar aroma surrounding them. Three of them looked back in wonder. There was standing Al-Zarqa with a shy look on her eyes.

“OK… Are you coming?.... Come lets go….” Sanjay got himself ready to leave.

She just nodded her head again and seated herself comfortably on the lower step of the bus. Hey understood that she wanted herself to be in their company. So Sanjay asked her to sit on the chair in which he was sitting and he took her place. She was listening to their talks though she couldn’t make out anything from that.

Few minutes passed and she started to enjoy the nature around her. The shiny balls of grapes made her hungry and she was seeing them for the first time in real. She felt her tensions relieved a little and she desperately wanted to taste some of them.

She made a strange sound to attract their attention and asked whether she could pluck those fresh fruits and have them in her usual sign language. In reality she felt so much relaxed. The beauty of nature and the cool breeze succeeded in relieving her at least temporarily. But at the same time she started to feel hungry.

The driver said she was not permitted to pluck them and stated some reasons for that too. She was disappointed. The assistant boy told Sanjay that she might be hungry that’s why she wanted to have them. But before that Sanjay noted the hunger in her eyes. He felt pity for her. But at the same time he was angry with her for rejecting his offer to take her to the restaurant.

He said the driver that he was going to the restaurant as he was feeling very hungry and started to walk. In fact Al-Zarqa desperately wanted him to ask her to accompany. But to her utter dismay he didn’t even turn his head to her side. She sat there waiting for a few minutes. Then she went inside the bus and got her bag and started to walk with quick steps behind him.

Darkness started to cover from all sides. She followed him after some definite distance. He turned back to see her and when ever she saw him turning his face to her, she slowed down her steps and turned her face somewhere else as if she was not at following him. They walked the whole distance and reached the restaurant entrance.

The sun set to take rest and through the distant skies Sanjay saw the branched lightning streak and the first drop of the season fell on the beautiful eye of Al-Zarqa as she looked the skies


[FONT=&quot](To be continued):coffee[/FONT]

 

Dear Sofea,

I am happy to receive the first feed back from you dear. It really means a lot to me.

Al- Zarqa's life is full of twists and turns at least for some more time. Lets see, what does destiny stores in for her.

Keep on reading and let me know all your criticisms to me. Thank you.

Love,

Simi..

 

Dear Deepu,

Thank you very much for your feed back.

Please keep on reading and let me know the fbs

Love,

Simi..

 

Dear Deepa,

Thank you for the wonderful fb and for the continuous support. I always try to be a bit quicker in posting the next chapters. But the busy work schedules make me tired.. . Thats why this unnecessary delay. Kindly bear with me please and I will try hard to post the next one quick. Thank you.

Please keep on reading and let me know how you feel about Alz.

Love,

Simi..

 

Dear Swaran,

I am very much happy to receive your precious feed back for the first time ever. Thank you so very much for the liking the story and liking my way of writing. Please keep on reading and let me know how you feel about the story.

Love,

Simi..