A small flashback from Part I:When I came out of the Ayyappan Temple in Trichy, some gangsta started chasing me. I made every effort I can and escaped from them and got into the Villupuram bus. The gang got lost amongst the busy crowd in the bus stand.
Now Part II begins...
The Road to Romance
I managed to get into the bus after 15 minutes hard running. I faced a heavy blow of air that took my breath away for a minute as I struggled to get hold of the footboard. I knew the world was slipping down my feet already. But there is always a last chance for everything and I got hold of that. I stood gasping in the footboard. After all it was the longest run in my life and the fastest speed I can ever run.
"What the hell you think you're doing?", yelled a man in khakki uniform.
The uniform, the leather bag on his left shoulder and few fifty rupees notes in between his fingers in left hand, a small pen on his right side ear clearly told me that he is the conductor.
"Oh wow, that's a good guess"
"Oh shit! not you again"
"Yes, I am here buddy. your inner voice"
"Where the hell have you been when I needed you. The Penta almost caught me in the bus stand. If it wasn't the crowd they would have caught me easily."
Meanwhile conductor who shouted at me (us!?) had his mouth wide open. I wondered why was he so shocked. Then only I realized that I was fully drenched in sweat. This must be the first time I had bathed in sweat.
"How many first time yaar. Come on. This is the first time you were chased by gangsters, first time running very very fast, first ..first and first.."
I didn't mind the voice now. I was looking at my shirt pocket which was fully rose in color. I did remember wearing a white shirt this morning. I inserted my hand into the pocket to find a bus ticket fully soaked in sweat. It must have been the reason for that color. Conductor has left now giving the ticket to me. I didn't know where to keep it. The trousers and even the rupees inside my purse were wet to an extent. I just hold the ticket in my hand. However all I cared now was everyone staring at me. I felt everyone's eye fixed on me and trying to guess what could happened to me from my appearance. It was so embarassing that I had to turn my face down and start listening to my mind voice, at least to avoid other's eye contact.
But how did I got the ticket? Did I gave money to Conductor? I was becoming more and more confused along with the embarassment.
"Don't feel buddy! I have been in most embarassing situation than this. Remember when you fell down trying to run across the sea in Poombukar."
"It's not you only. It was us. The whole Sea blue Safari suit was with salt water and beach sand. My Mom removed the shirt as I felt the salt itching on my back. "
"Good memory you got. That's the incident. The only difference is you were 10 by then. But now you are 25."
"Hey you...", no other words came out. My tongue got rolled back inside and seemed never to come out. My throat felt sore and I was desparately in need of water.
"Cool dude! First you need water before getting your nasty tongue out at me. Go ask that angel for a drink"
I turned my head to see an archangel standing there. Wow! I have never seen such a beautiful face in my life. Her was face was so calm and seemed to glow with a big white chakra behind her head. Suddenly two more hands raised arose with a flower on one hand and a small dumb-bell on the other. Wait..wait...Am I seeing a goddess here!!!
"Hey...you..wakeup buddy. I said she is an angel, not the goddess."
When the inner voice interrupted, all the lights and flashes from the environment went back in a jiffy and I can even see an old man standing next to her. Must be her dad...I wish.
She is now not that much bright, but still appeared to be calm beauty trying to penetrate in my heart.
"Aiyyo...Saamy...Thanni...", my inner voice started begging to me.
"Oh, Am I feeling thirsty?"
"yeah rite! there is not even single drop of water or saliva in your mouth. Will you be so kind enough to go ask anyone for water. But don't go near that lady, again you will forget everything in this world. Until today I thought Love is blind, now I understood Love has short term memory loss also"
"oye! chup raho! I will go ask her atleast for sake of you being so kind in talking to me for the first time in this story"
I gathered my little strength and leapt towards that beauty. But I had no enough guts to look up and ask her for water.
"Why do you need guts yaar. Just ask na..."
But I hesitated and when I was about return, I heard a nightingale singing behind. "You can have this." I bet she was not holding that water bottle when I saw her. She should have fetched it from her bag for me. I could see her dad placing the bag back in its place.
Oh man, what a voice! so sweet as honey. When I was thinking like this, water was slowly flowing through my Esophagus to the stomach.
"Can I have some for me too..." The sweety again...
I realized that almost 3/4th of the bottle is now empty. I thanked her and gave the bottle back to her. She got the bottle as if tearing it away with my skin and put it in her bag. That was enough for me to know that she is angry now.
Hmmm...She looks beautiful even when she is angry.
"What have you done dude! it was me who was very thirsty. It is very rare you get a chance to see a good looking girl. It is not so important to give her a nick name but not make her angry. It is better you should have died by the gangsta itself"
"Oye mada munda. You are 100% right yaar! I should have died there. She is killing with her beautiful eyes yaar!"
Bus stopped at Samayapuram and two or three people got down from the bus. Her dad had already went and sat in a seat nearby. Other seats were also taken immediately and so the beauty has to stand again.
"What a kind of man he is. Daughter is standing here and he has gone for the seat and started sleeping now..."
"Don't ever talk about him like that. It is because of him that I can still stand near this beauty and see her so closely."
I have already reached a foreign location without any passport or visa and started singing a romantic song with her.
"Minsaram en meethu paiginrathey, ul nenjil minnal poo pookiranthey...."
"Kaathal theeye.."my inner voice shouted.
"Oh god, I can perform my own duet. Could please get lost somewhere else..."
breeeeeee....followed by a krrrrchhhhhh brought me into a real world....The conductor has blown the whistle so loud near me which brought me back and the driver has stopped the bus suddenly. It didn't took me long to understand this. The conductor was shouting at two ladies.
"Hey, I told you na, next stop is Ulunderpet only. The bus will not stop in between. Why the hell are you people boarding in and giving me headache, chalo get down, get down", he grunted.
Those two old woman swore at him and got down from the bus. They started walking towards the Samayapuram bus stop. It was only few feet away.
"Oh! I had almost completed one full song in 30 feet distance. Guess this should be very less time than in Kakkha Kakkha movie"
Feeling angry at the conductor, I turned to my left. The beauty, my darling sweety was not there.
"bhai! aap baahut lucky ho yaar!. Thank the conductor and go sit in the next seat. See our sweety is also sitting there"
"What a great opportunity!" I wondered.
"But why didn't she call her dad instead of allowing the seat to be vacant."
"You got lucky again! Her dad must be son of Kumbakarna or something. See how he is sleeping in the bus. Snoring and sleeping on next passenger shoulder. That guy is again leaning against the window and sleeping like hell"
"Inner voice ji! Actually I don't understand this! I have been chased and running like hell. I am so tired that I can sleep continuosly for 3 days. but see these guys, they are sleeping as if like they have been working hard in some office like WIPRO or TCS."
"Ok, ok don't make remember those days and don't try to sleep. Just go and sit next to her. Don't miss the opportunity! May be you can try for 10 more songs until you reach Villupuram.
Inner voice became the DJ for me and all romantic songs came in remix to me.
I started dancing with her for 'Love mera hit hit soniye...'
All the time I was not aware that it was time to die and one more big life threat was waiting for me in Villupuram.
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