Beyond All Boundaries

Chapter 1: Wind and Waiting

Shanu's small thatched shop was on the edge of a large paddy field in the country. It was a place where the locals gathered in the evenings without any great fanfare. Sitting there and drinking a cup of black tea with the cool breeze coming from the green paddy was a great relief for the locals.

After finishing his agricultural work, Shanu would head straight to this shop. He could not get the satisfaction he got from working in the soil anywhere else. But beyond this ordinary life, there was a madness that always burned within Shanu—it was his love of travel. He always dreamed of unseen worlds and unknown people beyond this small circle of the country.

"Human life is not meant to be confined within certain boundaries. One should at least occasionally move away from the people who repeat the same words and see the same sights every day. One should step out into a world with no boundaries and an open mind."

That was Shanu's thinking. When he had saved some money from his shop and farming, he would take his old bag and set off. Journeys to nowhere. New languages, new cultures, different lives of people... all these were his greatest addictions.

It was one such day that Shanu set out on the biggest journey of his life. Leaving the farming and shop in the village to a close friend, he walked straight to the railway station.

That Konkan railway journey from Mangalore to Goa. That long journey with the roar of the Arabian Sea on one side and the green mountains of the Western Ghats on the other. Sitting in his window seat, Shanu sat in the sea breeze blowing outside. When the train started to pick up its speed, he did not know that this train, moving forward along the tracks, was going to take him to a big meeting that was going to change his life...

The train had regained its speed. The cold sea breeze of the Konkan was blowing into the train through the window bars. Shanu sat in his seat and slowly glanced at the others in the compartment.

A group of girls were sitting there. They had all the excitement and noise of going on a tour. Most of them were dressed in jeans and tops, in the style of today. However, only one of them immediately caught Shanu's attention.

She was sitting quietly, away from all the noise, looking out the window at the view. Unlike the modern outfits of those around her, her outfit was a very simple churidar. Long hair tied back past her shoulders. A sandalwood bangle beautifully touching her forehead. A truly elegant, rustic beauty!
Shanu felt as if there was some deep thought or a heavy silence on her face as she looked out at the greenery outside. While others were engrossed in their phones and conversations, it seemed to him as if she was the only one talking to nature. That outfit and her sitting position created a special curiosity in Shanu's mind.

She was in a world of her own, oblivious to the noise around her. The girls with her laughing, talking loudly, or playing on their phones did not affect her at all. Her gaze was only on the trees and mountains that were rushing out the window.

Shanu felt very isolated even in that large group. Perhaps, those window views had the power to reduce the weight of some memories inside her.

The train continued its journey. While Shanu was looking at the route and time on his mobile phone, he noticed that the phone's charge was almost gone. He quickly opened his bag and looked for the charger. I got the charging adapter in my hand, but the cable I thought I had put in my bag was nowhere to be found. I must have forgotten to put it in my bag when I got out in a hurry.

He looked around. The girl was sitting on the seat next to the charging point in the coupe. Everyone else was busy with their phones. Shanu noticed a charger in her hand.

He slowly cleared his throat and asked her very respectfully:

"Sister... wait a minute. I was trying to charge my phone, but I forgot to take the cable. Can you help me with that cable? It would have been enough to charge it a little..."

She had been in some other world looking out the window until then, but when she heard Shanu's voice, she suddenly turned her face. Her calm eyes extended towards Shanu.

Without saying anything, without even a small smile on her lips, she took the cable from her bag and held it out towards Shanu. There was something special solemn about her silence.

 While buying the cable, Shanu glanced at her hands without realizing it. Her fingers were longer than a normal girl's. He felt again as if there was a mystery hidden in her look and expression.

Even when Shanu said, "Thanks..." she simply nodded and turned her attention back to the scenery outside the window. Her silence only doubled Shanu's curiosity.

After charging the phone for a while, Shanu unplugged the charger. He looked towards Maya's seat to return the cable.

But she had already fallen asleep. Perhaps due to the cold wind coming through the window bars, she was leaning back in her seat and dozing off. Suddenly Shanu noticed the sight—one of her hands was slightly extended outside the window!

If tunnels, large bridges, or another vehicle from the opposite direction passed, it could cause a major accident. A flash of lightning flashed through Shanu, who knew a lot about traveling. It was more important to move her hand inside now than to give her the cable.

He wasted no time and moved closer to her seat.

"Sister... get up..." he called, lowering his voice and very gently tapping her shoulder.

Suddenly, she woke up with a start. When she opened her eyes from the lethargy of sleep and looked at Shanu, there was a look of panic on her face.

"Hand... your hand is hanging out a little. It's dangerous on a train journey, put it inside," Shanu said very seriously, pointing to the window.

That's when she noticed that her own hand was outside the window. She quickly pulled her hand inside and snuggled into her seat. Fear on one side and gratitude for the person who had shown her this kindness on the other were both evident on her face.
"Thanks..." she said very slowly, in a low voice.

Shanu extended the cable in his hand towards her as if to calm her nervousness. "Oh, thank you very much for giving me this. My phone is really charged."

"I'm Shanu," he said, introducing himself. "I'm a small farmer in the country... I've come out for a change every now and then. I love traveling."

She looked up at Shanu as she bought the cable and put it in her bag. His open demeanor and loving conversation had made her trust her.

"I'm Maya..." She said her name for the first time, very slowly, with the beauty of a breeze.

"Maya... nice name," Shanu said with a smile. "Why is Maya so quiet on such a long journey despite all these friends? Where is this journey going?"

Hearing Shanu's question, Maya looked back at the railway tracks stretching out the window. With a small sigh, she said:

"Everyone is going on tour to Goa. But I... I'm going to Goa to get away from it all. To escape somewhere for a while..."

Her words carried the weight of a great sadness or some kind of big decision. Shanu, who loves traveling, understood it immediately. Despite the commotion in that compartment, their world suddenly became silent.

She was curled up in her seat, her fingers intertwined. The wind outside seemed to be getting colder.

"What's the matter... why are you escaping?" Shanu looked at her face and asked slowly. Seeing her expression change, he quickly added: "Hey... if it's difficult, don't tell me, you hear me. I just asked."

Maya looked at Shanu with a small smile and nodded. There was a great deal of pain hidden behind that smile.

"It's not that there was any difficulty, Shanu..." she began to say slowly. "But, when answering some questions, we have to tell who we are. Those who have loved us until now, our siblings... There is a situation where they all start to hate us, and when they can't bear it, people try to escape from their own country and home."

She stopped saying that and looked out the window again. The girls with her were still laughing and playing in their own world, but hearing Maya's words, a certain weight filled Shanu's heart. He was realizing the depth of the isolation she was feeling.

"What will we do if we are isolated by our family and the locals..." Maya looked at Shanu with her dull eyes. There was a great helplessness in that voice. "We were born and gone... Then we will have to live. That's why I thought I would go far away, somewhere else that no one knows."
A tear slowly rolled down her cheek from her eye.

Shanu was completely silent for a moment. The words she had said were deeply engraved in his mind. Beyond mere curiosity like the others, an expression appeared on his face as if he was sincerely trying to understand her. He slowly reached out his hands to the table and placed his hands next to her trembling fingers.

"Sometimes running away doesn't mean you're losing, Maya..." Shanu's voice was very calm and deep. "It will be the beginning of a struggle to live with your own identity and in peace. Even if everyone in this world hates us, there will be at least someone somewhere who accepts us as ourselves. May this journey bring you to such a shore."

Hearing Shanu's words, Maya looked at him in surprise. Even though he didn't say who he was, she felt as if he recognized that great struggle of femininity within her. Even on that cold night, a great sense of relief was pouring into her mind.

He didn't want to drag her back into those wounds by asking more questions. He realized that what she needed now wasn't questions, but the comfort of having a man with her who wouldn't force her to do anything.

 Amidst the rhythmic sound of the train, that heavy silence fell between them again. But this time, the silence lacked the distance of unfamiliarity.

I don't want to.
The train was speeding towards Goa. It was getting dark outside the window. The emptiness on Maya's face made Shanu very uneasy. He could understand the state of mind of a girl who had run away from her hometown and home and landed in a new city where no one knew her.

He slowly looked at her face and said very gently:

"Maya... I don't have any particular goal or hurry in this city. I just came to see the sights. So... I can keep you company for the time being until I leave. If someone is with me, that isolation will at least be reduced a little. The fear will also go away."

Hearing Shanu's words, Maya suddenly looked at him in surprise. It was beyond her to believe that someone in this world, without any selfishness, without even considering her own safety, would be willing to stay with her. Her eyes filled with tears once again. But this time, there was no fear in those eyes, but a great relief.

 "Thank you so much Shanu... I couldn't have asked for a bigger help in this situation," she said with grateful words.

And so the train journey led to the greatest bond of their lives. As the train reached the Goa railway station, a new light of hope shone within both of them.

As the train pulled up at the Goa railway station, the noise and announcements from the station could be heard in the background. Shanu and Maya picked up their bags and stepped out onto the platform. The wind of that unfamiliar new city hit their faces for the first time.
Chapter 2: Strangers on the streets of Goa

As soon as they left the station, Maya's nervousness at arriving in a new city was evident on her face. Realizing this, Shanu wasted no time and rented two rooms in a quiet area right next to the station. Only when she found a safe place for the time being did Maya's heart cool down.

 After getting rid of the fatigue of the journey, by evening, they both went out to see the city.

Each street of Goa was a new experience for Shanu, who had boundless thoughts and an open mind. Together, they walked aimlessly through the city. The large beaches, the buildings full of old Portuguese-style murals, the small terraced shops by the backwaters... Thus, they saw all the beauty of Goa.

Maya, who was very silent at first, gradually became talkative when she walked with Shanu. Despite the modern outfits of the girls with her, she maintained her own elegant beauty, and Shanu felt that she felt a great freedom while walking through those streets. For her, who had escaped from the isolation of her hometown and home, this new city and Shanu's presence were a great relief.
They sat on the sand of the beach together and watched the sunset. As the waves came and grazed their feet, a genuine smile spread across Maya's face after many days. Seeing that sight filled Shanu with a great sense of satisfaction.

Leaving the beaches and streets where they had seen those sights, the next morning they had come to a quiet coffee shop.

Music was playing softly in the background. Steam was rising from the two thick coffees on the table. The unfamiliarity between them had completely changed after two days of acquaintance. As they walked and talked together through those Goan streets, a sense of trust had formed between them. Shanu himself had asked that question, slowly fiddling with his coffee cup.

"What's Maya's next plan? We can't keep going like this. Shouldn't we find a way out of this?"

Maya looked at the coffee and thought for a moment. The old nervousness was gone from her face, but instead a small determination to face life had come.

 "I know Shanu... I can't stay in my room like this forever. My savings will run out quickly. So I need to find a small job here. I don't want anything fancy, just enough to survive. Along with that... I need to sign a small rental agreement to temporarily move in. A small place of my own where I won't have to ask anyone for anything."

As she talked about her future dreams, a new hope was shining in her eyes. Perhaps, it seemed as if she was determined to fight for the freedom she was denied in her own country in this new land.

Shanu smiled, giving her courage.

"That's not all... let's see. I will be with you to find a job and arrange a good room. Only after that will I return here."

When he said that, a grateful smile spread on Maya's lips. But suddenly, a silence spread among the steaming coffee glasses in that coffee shop.

 Listening to Maya's words, Shanu suddenly felt a great emotion that he had hidden until then. From the moment he saw her on the train journey, her helplessness and her will to fight alone had deeply affected his mind. He realized that a life without her would be empty for him.

He looked at her hands on the table. His eyes had the look of a guardian, like a mother looking after her child without anyone knowing. With complete sincerity, in a voice that touched his heart, he asked:

"Maya... will you come with me to my hometown? I feel something special for you... that's why I'm asking. Can you come with me? If you come... I will look at you like gold. Even if the whole world is against you, I will be your shadow."

Hearing those words, Maya was completely shocked!

It seemed to her that the music and the voices of the people around her had stopped in a moment. Her heart was beating faster. In a world that had only seen her as a curse until now, she had never dreamed that a man would come into her life with such unconditional love. She couldn't believe it and looked into Shanu's eyes. She saw a greater security than love in those eyes.

The coffee cup in her hand trembled slightly. Her eyes widened in disbelief under the sandalwood on her forehead. She had forgotten to breathe for a moment, as if she had forgotten to breathe. She had never dreamed that a man would come into her life with such unconditional love, hating even her own blood and thinking that she had isolated the whole world.

She was filled with great joy and even greater fear at the same time. Because Shanu still hadn't known that great truth in her life...

The shock that spread across Maya's face slowly gave way to great worry. Her eyes filled with tears. She lowered her head as if she couldn't even look at Shanu's sincere face. Holding her trembling hands together, she managed to get the words out with great difficulty:

"Shanu... I can't do this. I... I'm not the kind of girl you want..."

Her throat caught as she said that. Her words filled the cold atmosphere of the coffee shop with a huge silence.
Shanu looked at her for a moment as if she didn't understand something. She was crying. Forgetting the world around her, she began to reveal her deepest secret to him. Each word she said was like a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders.
"Shanu... I was born a boy like everyone else. But as I grew up, my mind changed to that of a girl. When I completely transformed into a woman, both physically and mentally, my family couldn't accept it. The locals looked at me like a strange creature... and insulted me. Finally, I left everything and ran away to Goa just to live with my own identity."

By the time she finished saying that, Maya's breath had stopped. She slowly raised her eyes and looked at Shanu.

Just as she had been afraid, a huge shock clouded Shanu's face for a moment. His mind was unable to absorb what he had heard so quickly. His hands slowly pulled back from the table. A terrible emptiness spread in his eyes. He sat still, as if he had been caught in the face of a completely unfamiliar reality.

Seeing Shanu's sudden change, Maya felt as if a diamond weapon had struck her inside. She couldn't hold back her tears. She picked up her bag and tried to get up. She was sure that Shanu would get up and run away from here now, or he would look at her with disgust.
But Shanu did not get up. He slowly put down his coffee glass. A great battle of thoughts was going on inside him. Although some prejudices taught by society came to his mind for a moment, the sincerity and helplessness of the girl Maya that he had seen since that train journey came back to him. The realization that he had fallen in love with her not for her body, but for her pure mind fighting alone slowly dawned on him. The shock on his face had changed, and was replaced by the calmness of a great realization.

He slowly took hold of Maya's hand as she started to get up. That grip was firmer than before. He sat her down again and placed his hands above her trembling hands.

"Suddenly, when I heard... I felt something shaking, Maya," Shanu's voice was very calm. "But, that hesitation is my fault. Maya... I didn't love you for your past. It was for that mind of yours that I saw on this train journey, fighting for your own life. It's not who you were that matters to me, it's who you are now. I only have respect for you in the face of the pain you've faced."

Hearing Shanu's words, Maya wiped her eyes in disbelief. That hesitation he showed at the beginning, and the way he completely embraced it later, increased her trust in him a hundredfold.

Shanu's words shed a great light into the cold atmosphere of the coffee shop. Tears of relief slowly fell from Maya's eyes. After all the ridicule and isolation she had heard until now, that moment was a great realization for her that she too had a place to live on this earth.
Holding her hands lightly, Shanu began to talk about his beautiful village and his simple life:

"Maya... I don't have any big ambitions or sky-high dreams. I have my own small shop in the village, and some farming. That will provide us both with everything we need to live with dignity. And... with the same boundless thoughts as always, we can go on many trips together. We can travel the world."

Hearing those words, a new smile spread on Maya's lips. She, who had thought that she would somehow survive on the streets of Goa by leaving her hometown and home, took some time to accept the fact that Shanu was going to be the guardian of her life. However, the sincerity in his eyes gave her a lot of courage.

"Shanu, I agree to come with you..." she said very slowly and firmly.

And so, in that small coffee shop in Goa, they decided to take a step into a new life together.

 They had driven straight from Goa to Maya's home. Maya wanted to show those who had isolated her that she was no longer alone and to bring her belongings. Shanu stood by her like a shadow.

When she reached the doorstep of her own house after many years, Maya's chest was pounding with fear. She felt as if the atmosphere of that house was still suffocating her. She slowly knocked on the door.

Her father opened the door and his face darkened when he saw Maya. When he saw Shanu standing with him, his eyes filled with anger and suspicion.

"Why did you come here again? Isn't the shame you have brought on this family enough?" he shouted.

Shanu came forward and said very calmly: "Uncle... I am Shanu. I have decided to marry Maya. To take her with me..."
Before Shanu could finish, he laughed out loud. After that laugh full of mockery and hatred, he looked at Shanu and said insultingly:

"But only someone like you can take someone like her with you! Don't you belong to a different religion? She has ruined the dignity of our clan, and we will not be harmed by any religion she goes with. Get off the steps of my house! You who have no caste or clan are not allowed to enter this gate!"

When Shanu, who is of a different religion, was ready to accept Maya wholeheartedly, his own father brutally insulted her again in the name of religion. Those words of his father hit Maya's chest like a whip. She felt like she couldn't even breathe. She lost control. She cried and held on to Shanu's hands tightly.

But to Shanu, who had boundless thoughts, that religious fanaticism and ridicule were like grass. He just smiled calmly at Maya's father. There was no anger in his eyes, but rather pity for the old man.

"Uncle, religion and caste are just man-made boundaries. But love and humanity are above all that. You may not want your daughter, but she is my life. I feel ashamed of this caste pride that you are protecting over her tears. She will never step on this step again.”
Shanu held Maya's hand and turned around. As she descended the steps of the house, Maya completely left her past and all its pain there.

Even as her father was shouting at the door, and Maya and Shanu's chests were cut by the sharpness of those words, two eyes were looking at them through the windows of the house. It was Maya's mother.

No mother can deny her own blood. The mother, who had been silent until then due to her father's fear and the ridicule of the locals, slowly ran out through the kitchen door, unnoticed, despite the shouting.

Before they reached the gate, her mother, breathless, jumped in front of them. Seeing her mother, all the sorrows inside Maya burst out. "Mother..." she called out, falling into her chest and burst into tears.

Her mother did not say anything, she hugged Maya tightly to her. After years, when she felt the warmth of her own daughter, her heart sank. As she stroked those strands of hair, her tears fell onto the sandalwood paste on Maya's forehead.

Then, her mother slowly moved Maya aside and took both of Shanu's hands in her trembling hands. There was great gratitude and prayer in her mother's eyes.

"My daughter has been left alone in this whole world, my son... She is the one even her own father hated. That great heart you showed to bring her along, regardless of caste or religion... This mother can only fold her hands in front of that. No matter what religion you belong to, you are God in human form for my daughter. Don't abandon her..."

Her mother took off a small, slightly worn old gold ring from her finger and handed it to Maya. Then, placing her hand on both of their heads, her heart melted and blessed her without anyone knowing: "Live well, children... May nothing be able to weaken you. This mother will be praying for you all her life." 

When her father's voice rose again from inside, her mother walked quickly inside in fear. On the way out, her mother looked back once more and smiled tearfully. But, the blessing given by her mother on that descent had erased all the wounds inside Maya and Shanu. With great confidence, they left that country, holding hands, and set foot in a new life.
Chapter 3: A New Dawn

After arriving in the country, they started living together legally without any big fuss or fuss. Shanu's small house became a real paradise when Maya's hands fell on it. Until now, she had not even been considered a woman and had to fight for her own marks, and the threshold and kitchen of that house were like her own kingdom. There, she had no need to be afraid.

Shanu kept his words completely. He held her close to his chest and looked at her like gold, without missing anything. She was his world.

 During the day, while Shanu went about his small business, Maya, along with taking care of the household chores, also helped Shanu on his farm. There was a great sense of satisfaction on her face as she worked the soil and sowed the seeds. Slowly, flowers began to bloom on all the plants she had planted; just like her life.
Although some of the locals initially looked away and kept quiet, when they saw Maya's loving behavior and their simple life, they also slowly started to embrace the couple. They were living proof that unconditional love can erase the boundaries of caste and gender in human minds.

They lived happily with the income they received from working in the shop and farming. But beyond that, the greatest joy that Shanu gave her was something else. Once a month, they would set aside a certain amount from their small income. Then, one fine morning, they would pack their bags and set off for a new city, to places no one knew.

On those trips, they would sit in the train's passenger seat, windy, with boundless thoughts and an open mind, talking about life as they used to. Those old Goan streets and steaming coffee shops they saw together would always remain sweet in their memories.

 A train journey that began with the intention of escaping, of ending up somewhere... finally brought the two of them to the most beautiful and peaceful shore of life. As Maya looked out through the train windows and rested her head on Shanu's shoulder, she remembered how beautiful any distance is when there is a guard by her side!