K G HARIHARAN

Romance Drama

5.0  

K G HARIHARAN

Romance Drama

The Last Page

The Last Page

9 mins
489


The train was about to leave in 5 minutes. As usual, Aman had reached the station well in time and had occupied his seat. The journey from Bangalore to Bhubaneswar was of 24 hours. Aman had gone there officially on work connected with training. How the two weeks passed he did not know. The plan to see Bangalore was made in the last few days but now there is no time for it. He was to join the Bhubaneswar office as soon as possible. He has bought some biscuits and fruits as usual. He had decided not to eat the food catered in the train during the journey. .His reservation is in the lower berth. It is a matter of only one night. Even otherwise the train journey is boring for him. He can not sleep on the upper berth. It was not known whose reservation was on the upper berth. Today the train looks less crowded


Aman started listening to songs in his MP3 Player. He was tired. So he closed his eyes and had a little nap. Then suddenly a girl came carrying a big trolley bag. She could drag that heavy trolley bag with great difficulty. Somehow she managed to sit after putting her bag under the seat. Aman's eyes opened suddenly. He did not believe that she was Nisha. Both were meeting after four years. Perhaps Nisha had also recognized him. Both had graduated together. They were in the same class but had neither talked nor had a friendship. One of the reasons for this was Aman’s feeling for Nisha which was always there. But it couldn’t be expressed. This was not known to others except him. Those days of college began to appear again. On the last day of graduation, the reason for Aman’s crying was that he could not express his feeling to her anytime. Now he was to live the whole life with this regret.


Nisha looks the same even today. She is not changed at all. Even today she had the same simplicity and innocence. In the name of makeup, she only had a black bindi and two small earrings. She just keeps her hair a little longer these days. In college, she had very short hair. She looked like a doll. Now she has become a little fat. But I too have changed. I have grown my beard. Does she even recognize me? Alas! I had come trimmed today? Probably she would have recognized. She never looked at me in college. It is not known how many such things Aman started recollecting. Two hours passed in these thoughts, without his knowledge.


Nisha is sitting as if she could not even recognize Aman. She is busy reading, keeping a book of Dan Brown in her hand... Aman had never thought in his life that they would meet again and that too in this manner. Perhaps an opportunity came to open their hearts. But how to tell what they want to? They could not tell it in college for 4 years. Even today his courage has not shown any improvement...


“At least I can talk. Perhaps she might recognize me”. Aman showed little courage by such thoughts. Aman- “Hi”( Probably Nisha could not hear.)

Aman- “Hi Nisha!”

( Nisha removed the book covering her face).

Nisha- “Hi, You are Aman right? I thought that it was you. But you have changed so much that I thought you maybe somebody else”.

Aman- “It is Ok. At last, you could make out!”

Nisha- “Oh! Come on. I never forget it. After all, 4 years have passed. How were those college days!”

Aman-“Yes, I miss those days too”.


Nisha-“You were always busy with your studies. You never bunked a class. You went to college even when there was mass bunking. Very studious”.

Aman- “It was not so as people talked. I loved to go to college. All my friends were there”.

Nisha-“Tell me. Where are you now? What’s going on in your life?”

Aman-“I am still there in TCS. In connection with the training, I had come to Bangalore for 2 weeks. Now I am returning. You?”


Nisha-“I left TCS and after doing an MBA I am present with Axis Bank. Now I am going home for the holidays”.

Aman- “Wow, that’s good !”

(They talked till it was almost night... Nisha had an upper berth)

Aman-“You may sleep in the lower berth if you wish. Anyway, your bag is kept below. I shall sleep in the upper berth”.


Nisha-“Oh! That's so nice of you. Thanks, will you not have dinner?”

Aman-“No. I do not eat food catered in the train. I have some biscuits and fruits”.

Nisha-“How can it be food? I have some. Actually, Rumi has given something more. We can share.”

Aman-“No. It's fine. My habit is for such a dinner”.

Nisha- “Then change this habit. Let me guess. You may not know cooking. Right?”

Aman-“Absolutely! I know how to prepare Maggi... And I also make tea and coffee”.

(Nisha started laughing)


Nisha:” I did not guess. I remember that you had said sometimes in the college that you did not know cooking. Maybe in the Truth and Dare Question game

Aman- “Oh! Do you still remember?”

Nisha- “Like I said, I do not forget. But I must say a nice improvement! In 4 years you've learnt how to prepare Maggi, tea and coffee, good”.

Aman- “Do you still read novels? I am scared of seeing such a thick book”.


Nisha- “I love reading very much. Some characters of the stories are interesting and the end of some stories”.

Aman- “Oh! Interesting. But what type of stories do you like most?”

Nisha-“Sometimes on the last page of a book, you come to know what the whole story is. I love those kinds of stories and novels”.

Aman- “Wow, how beautifully you have said it.!”

(After dinner, both of them went to sleep in their respective berths)


How could Aman have sleep at night? He never thought that he could have ever talked so much with Nisha. Alas! He had so much courage in the college to develop a friendship. Now, this 24-hour journey, which looked so long to him, seemed short now. It is not known whether they would meet ever again. There lingered some love still at some corner of Aman’s heart. But he could not express He spent the night writing down courageously his fond desires on a piece of paper. 


Hi, Nisha,

Please, do not get me wrong. I always wanted to tell you one thing but never had the courage. Today, after so many years, I don't feel that our meeting is a coincidence. I loved you from college days. But never could speak. At first, I thought that it was childish. But to tell you frankly, I knew in some corner that the prompting of my heart was right. I have been living with this regret for 4 years, that I could not tell you this. Today we got satisfaction. It is not necessary that you like me too Maybe you didn't even know me properly. You have every right to select your life’s partner. You are a very good girl. I shall pray for you to achieve everything in life which you cherish. Simplicity is one quality that is acquired only by a few people. There are only a few who understand this. You have the same simplicity today which you had before. Please preserve this, as it is, without changing yourself anytime.

And one thing, I know to cook well. I had jokingly told that I did not know cooking because you were laughing at that time. "-Aman-


Aman did not write his contact number in it. It was just to make his feelings known. Now, where was the courage in him to hear her reply? Now he did not even think as to what he should do with the paper.

(The next morning the train had reached Berhampur and there was a 5-minute halt there)


Nisha- “My station has arrived. Could you help me with my luggage, please?”

Aman- “Of course”. Aman was afraid of this moment. Today he was standing in the same place where he was 4 years ago. And even today, he does not have the courage to speak but he does not want to make this meeting futile, being in a quandary. He does not care what will be the answer to Nisha now. But he couldn't have lived the rest of his life asking himself as to why did he not venture once.

Before the departure of the train, Aman told Nisha handing her trolley bag, "Nice to have met you." Nisha had only one answer- "Me too."


The train had left Berhamapur station. After 3 hours, Bhubaneshwar station will be reached. But this time Aman’s face did not show any regret or misery, but there was peace... He had courageously put the paper inside the top pocket of Nisha’s trolley bag opening the zip chain.


After returning to his seat Aman started thinking about the meeting all the way. The train had reached the Bhubaneshwar station. As Aman started leaving picking up his handbag he felt the bag heavy. After getting down from the train he finds the same book of Dan Brown in his bag which Nisha was reading. He thought, "By mistake, she had forgotten her book. How would I return it now?" Why should she put the book in my bag if at all she had forgotten? “


Picking up the bag Aman proceeded towards the Auto Stand. He was peaceful a little while ago, but now he was not able to understand as to what should be done with the book. Throughout his journey from station to house, he was trying to get a solution to the problem. While trying to get sleep at night Aman recalled the meeting in great detail. Looking at the same book of Dan Brown's near the pillow, he thought- "Time is too weird. When we want it to stop, it runs faster.Afterwards, the same moment comes back through memories, making us think alone.


Life is also like a book- some big, some small- all with the pages of their own. Every book has many chapters. As we do not feel like regretting at the last stop of life, the last pages of the book should not have an incomplete story. Only then it makes a perfect story”.


Suddenly Aman remembered something. He turned on the lights and grabbed the book as a child pounces on new toys. Nisha had said one thing, which he could recollect. "Sometimes the last page of a book reveals what the whole story is about.”


When he opened the last page he did not believe. Nisha had written something there -

"Oh! I feel good meeting you. Some memories of the college got refreshed. There was one thing in those memories that I had hidden in my mind. Alas! We could have been friends then, when I would have told with courage. Regardless of what a girl is, sometimes she keeps a picture of her life partner in her mind. My thinking is very simple. I search for some qualities in my life partner which I find in you... Even after so many years, you are the same person today, learning which I feel good. In fact, you were not looking that good in college, the way you look now. Please trim your moustache a little. Another thing. They Have started searching for a groom for me at my house. If you too have the same feeling for me then I give my number to you. If not, we can always remain as friends".


THE END


आखिरी पन्ना

DramaFantasyRomance

© Gaurab Tripathy

https://storymirror.com/read/story/hindi/ovccze2z/aakhirii-pnnaa


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