Ananya let her tears flow. Ruhana held her tight.
A group of four was seen walking towards them.
‘Here they are now. Rohit landed yesterday evening and took the night train to get here for Ahan’s graduation. He, too, was kept in the dark until now. He is as bewildered as you are about this whole situation. You two have been silently suffering for too long now. We all feel that life should offer you a second chance.’ Then, with a sharp intake of breath, she said, ‘Ananya, don’t disappoint my brother this time.’
From afar, Ananya could see Urna clinging to someone’s arm, happily waving at her. She couldn’t catch the voices over the sound of the river. Then the group halted and one of them started to move towards her.
She stood there, staring at the approaching figure, a repeat act from the previous morning, leading to a similar upheaval inside her, but of a very different sort this time. Tears got washed away in smiles. The sun, the river, the breeze and the trees all cheered in unison at this happy college reunion.
16
Platform 9 . . . and 3/4?
Sashwati Ghosh
Florence, Italy
1750 hours
Amid the flurry of people, the monotonous pre-recorded voice announcing the arrival and departure of trains, her eyes scanned the crowd in a heightened sense of excitement and anxiety.
Where was he?
Indira was standing in the underground passage of the train station, in front of the staircase that led up to Platform 9. All around her, people were frantically rushing into the passage and darting up the stairs to the platforms where their trains were about to leave. It was the middle of December, and chilly winter winds drafted through the station.
Indira pulled her rainbow-coloured scarf tighter around her neck and tightened the belt on her cherry-red coat. Amid the dull grey and black tones of her surroundings, Indira was like the first bloom of spring. She was tall, slim and undeniably attractive, with long, wavy hair that framed her heart-shaped face and wide-set dark eyes that now glanced anxiously at the fluorescent board displaying the scheduled trains.
Her heart began to pound erratically as she saw that the train that would bring him from his office in the outskirts of the city to Florence had arrived five minutes early.
He was here.
Any second now she would see his 6-foot 2 frame cutting through the crowd and making his way to her on Platform 9. From there, they would board the 6.04 train home, to the humble town of Pistoia. And they would have, for almost one uninterrupted hour, conversations that would touch the strangest of topics—and, in turn, her heart.
This had been their routine for a couple of weeks now, travelling to and from Florence together—she to the university and he to work. She was a budding architect, and though she loved her classes and the time she spent with her friends, her daily commute was what she looked forward to the most.
She often thought about how quickly she and Prithvi had become friends. It had barely been a month since they’d been introduced by common friends. She thought about Prithvi more often than she cared to admit. Prithvi was like a breath of fresh air in Indira’s life. He never mulled over things like Indira did, always acted on instinct and never hesitated to say what was on his mind. She loved that he was such a free spirit.
1800 hours
The train was due to leave in four minutes. And Prithvi was nowhere to be seen. Waves of disappointment washed over her as she contemplated the idea of a journey without him. Suddenly, from her left, a soft voice, eerily close to her ear, whispered ‘Ciao, cara!’, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to see Prithvi laughing uncontrollably at her expression. She was still catching her breath as she gave him a playful punch and allowed him to gather her into his arms for a tight hug.
‘I’m sorry!’ he said, the twinkle in his eyes betraying him.
‘Yeah, you look really sorry!’ Indira teased. ‘I thought you couldn’t find me! And, as always, your phone’s out of charge!’
‘Indu, I could spot you from a mile away in that scarf,’ Prithvi laughed, playfully giving her scarf a tug.
‘So I like to wear some colour! I’m making up for the people around me,’ Indira told him matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow at Prithvi’s all-black outfit.
He looked especially handsome that day. She had found herself attracted to him of late, but today, with his long black coat buttoned all the way up over his jeans and his black scarf knotted casually around his neck, she was left quite breathless. Not to mention that mop of floppy black hair she had an inexplicable weakness for.
‘Hahaha! Touché. Ready to run?’
‘Let’s go!’
They bolted up the stairs to Platform 9 to find the train pulling in. Prithvi pulled Indira’s arm instinctively, causing her to step back behind the yellow line as they waited for the train to come to a stop. She smiled to herself—he had no idea how these small gestures made her feel, and it was all she could do to keep it from becoming apparent.
It was a Friday evening, and people were returning to their hometowns after a long week’s work. Even so, the train was unusually full and there were no empty seats left. They stood in the passage between two coaches, as other passengers continued to hop onboard. Prithvi put an arm around her shoulders as the passage filled up completely.
Okay, that’s a first. Indira’s heart beginning to race. Stay calm, stay calm.
As the train began to pull out of the station and pick up speed, Prithvi’s grip on her shoulders tightened to keep her from losing balance. After a few minutes, Indira rested her head lightly against his shoulder and was surprised at how natural it felt. At this proximity, she could inhale his unique smell, which was a heady combination of musk tinged with a lingering trace of what seemed like sandalwood. The overall effect made her transiently giddy. She lifted her head from his shoulder, trying to regain her composure. At this, Indira felt Prithvi’s grip on her shoulder slacken ever so slightly, with his eyes now intently fixed on her profile, wondering what had caused the sudden shift.
1830 hours
The train had covered almost half of its one-hour-long journey. In a few moments, they would pull into Prato. The people in the passageway looked weary now. The train came to a halt and people began to disembark. Prithvi suddenly pulled on her hand.
‘What are you doing?!’ Indira exclaimed.
‘Just trust me! Let’s do this. You won’t regret it!’ Prithvi told her, jumping off the train. Indira still stood inside, looking at him incredulously.
‘You’re not actually going to make me do this!’
‘Come onnn . . . be spontaneous!’
Spontaneity was NOT her strong suit. Indira prided herself in leading a structured life and taking well-balanced, premeditated decisions. Prithvi was casually dismantling all her notions of how she believed life should be. Indira took a few deep breaths.
Okay, relax. This isn’t such a big deal. There are trains that can take you back home every hour. Maybe it’ll even be fun to explore a new town. And you’ll be alone with Prithvi in a new town.
Prithvi hopped back into the train. ‘Are we doing this?’ he asked, looking down at her, locks of his dark hair falling into his eyes.
God, those brown eyes . . . Indira felt the last few vestiges of self-restraint slip away.