THE SMILING STRANGER

Imagine the bus stop like this

It was mid September. And Kolkata was much crowed due to upcoming Durga puja. I was waiting for the second bus as I missed the first one due to some work in school. Yes I’m Divya Mukharjee, a school teacher by profession. The breeze blowing on the bridge was the only relief for my exhaustions.

After the waiting of ten more minutes I got my bus. I looked around, as I generally do to observe people, read their faces and capture their vivid expressions. Looking around, I ended up with nothing interesting to invest time in and focus on. I took the window seat and after some time a girl with hazel eyes and smiling face sat beside me.

“So!!! You are from Kolkata?” she was the one to break the silence first. “Yes and you are?”I replied with a smile. “Actually I was born here but I left Kolkata when I was nine year old as my dad shifted to Bangalore. But I’m visiting Kolkata now.” that smile never left from her face.

“By the way I’m Divya.” I extended my hand towards her direction. “Ohh...I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Ruchira” she shook my hand firmly. For the next few minutes we talked about various topics, our professions and our point of view. I was seeing a friend in this stranger.

“So where were you staying before shifting?”I questioned. “My residence was near Barrackpore. So many years have passed and I haven’t gone to that place for quite long.” She added but stopped seeing my reaction. “That’s where I lived and I had been living there for my entire life.” Frankly I was surprised.

Image from google source

Ruchira or Ruchi was my best buddy in school. We used to sit together, play together, and had our Tiffin together. Students were very jealous of our friendship. Everything was picture perfect until her fathers’ transfer news broke on us. We were standard four students at that time and she had to leave in such a hurry that I had not given a chance to properly goodbye her.

May be she didn’t remember me. I was taken aback by the vivid memory. I looked at her and again she was smiling but my stoppage had come. “Umm...bye I have to go. My stoppage has come...see you later or may be again.” 

I got down from the bus and headed towards my home when I heard a voice from back “Arre...Divu...won’t you invite me to your home?” I turned back to see Ruchi was huffing and smiling simultaneously. “What did you think that I will not recognize you??? Then let me clear mss Divya Mukharjee I recognized you from the very beginning but pretended not to just to know your reaction. But you...just walk away” she threw her hands in air to show her angriness. “Sorry...It was a surprise for me and...I...didn’t know...what...to...do...” I fumbled a little and tears were finding their way out but I completed my sentence I was hugged by her. We both missed each other and that was our golden memory.

Imagine they hugging each other after so many years....

Sometimes strangers are not strangers....                                                                                                                      

What happened with me that may be happened with you....?

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

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