And It’s Raining Again

| Present day 2018 | Shimla | Cafe Bistro | table number 4 | 2:50 PM | | Raining |

“Excuse me, may I sit here?”

After validating that there is no place where this man can make space for himself, hesitatingly she replied “Yeah sure”, and then she continued to gaze at the rain through the window.

“Oh God! It’s raining again”, “I love this season, it brings life into the city through its own charm, don’t you think?”. I continued talking for about two minutes and found that she was not at all listening. She was totally lost into deep thoughts!

By the way, my self Kabir, an aspiring writer, who comes here often. And this pretty girl is known as “Anjali”. Don’t judge me, but I found her name through one of the waiter.

Shoulder length hair, bright complexion, sharp features, nose ring, those eyelashes hiding her eyes and grazing through the window, those soft curls falling on her cheeks and that continuous movement of hand stirring the coffee. With complete silence on face, in that noisy surrounding.

Any fine raining day, with such an amazing weather, you can find her, sitting on the “table number 4”, observing the rain through the same window. I have always had some kind of curiosity for this girl.

Is that table special for her?

Why does she continuously looks at the rain? What are those thoughts?

Though, she is looking at the rain, but I guess it’s something else. Sometimes we do look, but all we can see, is a blurry canvas of life.

The table number 4 is adjacent to the roman style window with painted glass pans and mostly kept half open for the view. The reflecting rain droplets from the window was making her vision blurry, and the touch of every droplets was sending back to the memory lane! I guess, the rain succeed and she was all drenched in her past and was feeling nostalgic.

I couldn’t stop myself from asking her “Do you love rain?”

She said “No”

I again asked “And why are you so peculiar about this table number 4?”

She said “No, nothing special as such.”

Meanwhile she uttered this word “No”,

She recalled that moment, which she has left 8 years ago on platform number 4 of Meghalaya Railway Station. That day she informed Nishant, that it’s her last day in Meghalaya. Nishant and Anjali have met 4 years ago in the college in 2006. Since then, they were inseparable.

But at present, it was clear, that they have parted their ways, it was not like old times, where he would not let her go. She knew that he would not come, but she always wanted him to come to see her off! These thoughts were so exhausting, she never felt so restless like that before. She thought, it was her last chance, maybe last hope for rest of her life. She did not want to miss that chance. The chance to see him for one last time.

Suddenly, it started raining heavily. Everybody at the Station was enjoying the rain, the drops, the sound, ripples, and smiles, after all it was first rainfall of the season, but she was not able feel that joy. She was lost in those complex drowning thoughts. All she wanted that evening, was a glimpse, Glimpse of those eyes.

Suddenly Anjali looked at me and said “Believe me! Nothing else, just those eyes! Which can never lie”.

That moment, I understood the whole story. It took me just one sentence of her to decode the silence, the achy pain, all those questions, and all her answers.

So, 8 years ago, those eyes were the only way to find out the purpose for Nishant’s decision. His decision to not look them together in future, his decision for this distance, his decision to let her go, and his decision to leave her unanswered.

All she wanted a “closure”.

She was, and is still waiting for all her answers, which he could not say and which she was not ready to accept on that rainy day in platform number 4. In between the chaos of mind and heart, she heard the last signal of train! While standing over the gate of train, that evening, this girl could only hope for those answers.

I can understand, how that moment must be like. Like a mathematical equation, where each railway announcement was feeling like directly proportional to her heartbeat and was increasing further.

All she could afford to do was to "wait". And yes, she waited till the last glimpse of the station. Something was sinking inside this girl, just like the rain disappears into the earth, but leaves it wet. Whatever it was, but connected very well with the rain! After all! They first met and parted on a rainy day.

And it's raining again..!