The Night Knows It All

The night was long and I was driving along the cold deserted highway, the wind was touching my face from the half opened window. The mp3 player is the only companion I had. I reached the diversion where I would be entering the way to my destination. That time I remembered some stories my father used to tell me when I was a kid about some lady in white taking lift from random guys and whenever they stopped their car, she used to kill them or some sort of mumbo jumbo like that. But times are different now, lady in white don’t scare me that much how much I get scared from my pending deadlines. The publishers’ meet and the authors meet are kind of hectic for me these days.

It was almost 2:45 when I saw something, I noticed a parked car. I stopped my car and I saw a lady was sitting inside. I asked her “may I help you mam?”

She replied “no thanks, my husband is on his way”.

I said “it is ok I can wait her as the roads are not safe at this time of night”. I said or you can take my car and drive your way home, I will wait for your husband. I noticed that something is not fine with her. She told me that ok you can wait here.

I asked her about her, she told her name to be “Ankita Verma”. I told her that mam you should not be outside in this time of night. She told me that she had been to a friend’s party. She asked me “where I am from?”

I told her I am from Delhi and I studied in Delhi University. To which she replied that she also studied there. I am no shocked to hear that because I knew her answer would be this. I knew something was bothering her so I asked her “what is the matter mam?” anything serious?” 

She saw me and said “Actually I think you would find it strange but I could not remember how my husband looked”. I was not at all shocked to hear that as it would have been her answer I always knew. I told her “Mam, its ok you will notice him once he comes here”. She said that is the problem actually I suffer from alzeimer and I don’t remember faces for long, I would have recognized him as I have saved his pic but my phone battery also died of so this the thing scaring me a lot. I told her “mam don’t be scared, you can do one thing I can give you can take my phone you can call your husband”.

I asked her about the time she read in the college. She told me that her husband and she met during their college days. Their love story started from the time they were made project partners. She said that by the way what about you where are you going so late at night. I told her that I am writer and I am going to Kolkata for a writer’s meet.

And when I was about to say something a car stopped near me. From the car came out a familiar face. The face saw me and was about to say something but nothing escaped his mouth. I said “hi sir your wife is waiting for you from quite long”. She bid me bye and her husband thanked me. I got into my car and left the place. Some memories flashed to my mind again but I kept them to myself and drive along. After all dealines always scared me.