Awaiting That Single call

"Hey! Is this Sreejeeta?"

I was startled to hear a deep voice greeting me. I looked up from my mobile where I was engrossed with my favourite novel. My eyes gazed at the gentleman, standing in front of my seat. Well, I was resting in the airport lounge. I was idling in the premium segment till the flight from Hyderabad to land. At any minute, I was expecting an announcement from the Airline. I was getting restless about the arrival of the delayed plane and let it carry me to my destination. It was late evening. It would be pitch black by the time I reach my city.

I replied in affirmative and nodded my head at the same time as if that person might not have heard my response. I was not able to place the face at first glance. Furthermore, I would like to add that I have an excellent memory. I would never let go of a chance to not brag about it to all. The person just grinned at my bewildered expression, but he did not make a move to go away from that place.

I had to ask the million-dollar questions without looking embarrassed at the same time. " Do I know you? For how long do we know each other? May I know your name, if you do not mind? Where exactly had we met?" 

I was curious to identify the person who would recognise me by my official name. Most of my friends and relatives call me by my pet name as they find my real name too complicated and lengthy. My mind was racing very fast to know the answer. I was also thrilled to have caught one handsome guy's attention for the first time in my life. My appearance was in total contrast to my feelings that were darting hither and thither.

"Slow down, Sreejeeta. You have not changed a bit since the last time we had met each other. You still get agitated at the drop of a hat, chill. We used to hang out a lot in the astronomy club, remember? I am Aditya by the way. Did it ring a bell? If your memory has not diminished a little these years, then you would unquestionably recognise me."

Oh! My God. This impressive dude used to be my classmate in junior college. He used to sit next to my desk every day in class for two long years. We had so much in common in those days. We had lost contact with each other after that. We had followed our dreams by joining diverse courses at the university. I had aspired to do something unconventional in life. In the process, my wish was to break free from traditional norms. Due to a distinct area of interest, I had absolutely forgotten about him. 

Absence of social media curiosity had driven me to become a social outcast in society. Well, I do not mind at all. My motto in life: If someone wants to connect with me, then he or she would discover means to communicate with me. I would never reach out to anyone in my life, why should I? Too much vanity it seems, but it does not involve you and me.

Aditya was an exception to my unyielding motto. He was also averse to social media it appears, just like me. I had tried to get some sort of information about him for many years then I gave up my search. Now, this guy is standing in front of me and questioning me if I could recognise him or not? I could never ever wipe his memories from my subconscious. I was floating on cloud nine at that time as memories tried to hit me like the chilly breeze. I was quivering inside and felt shaky with happiness.

My dull evening turned pleasant suddenly. I was transported back to another world swiftly. Look at my luck after years, Aditya was also flying on the same flight as me. We prattled like teenagers after he exchanged his seat in the plane. We sat next to each other and giggled a lot like fools throughout our journey. Our co-passengers whined about our high pitch and laughter. We murmured after getting soft warning but who was worried at that time? I did not want the trip to come to an end and to part again. We shared our life stories and exchanged our mobile numbers. He was flying to another country the very next day, but Adi had promised to keep in touch without fail. 

After getting out through the arrival gate, we went out in our separate directions. I had offered to drop Adi at his hotel, but he had declined my suggestion to go out of route only for him. He was always like that. I could not rest well that night, out of excitement. There was no exhaustion as I was going to connect to him the next day. 

I waited for that single call after our fateful journey that had connected us after so many years. There was no call from Adi, and my call was never connected to him. Did I miss something throughout our meeting or conversation? There was nothing unusual in his behaviour. A thousand questions awoke in my brain, why did he not ring and connect with me? Was Adi working for Intelligence Service or a mole or an imposter or was he for real? Was he engaged in an accident or did not have access to mobile services or network problems?

We connected with each other after years to get disconnected again. Why did we meet then? Was it a coincidence or pre-planned one? I am still waiting for Aditya's incomplete way to connect with me. I am breathing, and life is going on as usual. Every time my mobile rings, my mind reacts to it differently. Why did this happen to me? Would we reach out to each other, time will tell?

A single phone call made a tremendous difference.