The journey

After a hard day's work, i was returning home by the fast local. it would be 8pm by the time I reach home I decided to have my dinner from the roadside 'dhaba'.They make tasty food at affordable rates though many warned that they recycle the used oil till it gets exhausted. My parents were looking for suitable match for me and the photos of a few they sent did not enthuse me. Though not aiming at a drop down stunner, I was not prepared to settle for a plain looking Jane.

The train was crowded but I could manage a seat. Still the humidity, the hot breaths of passengers close to me, the body odour due to perspiration that assailed my nostrils made it very uncomfortable. It was while trying to take my handkerchief to cover my nose, I turned to my right and what I saw made my heart skip a beat. Such beauty, such perfection in creation is no sight for levity. I forgot the hand kerchief but adjusted my sitting posture to get an eyeful for the rest of the journey.

There was a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, the eyes twinkled, a stray strand of hair curled on her forehead that was glowing. She had a sleeveless and a thin yellow saree was draped carelessly over her chest and shoulder. I could see she was looking at me from the corner of her eyes without any attempt to hide the fact. This emboldened me to gaze at her uninterrupted except for short breaks to avoid other passengers frown upon my crude ogling. I had four more stations to go and wished that the train travelled slower and I wanted to feel her skin with a touch.

When the train stopped at the next station the passenger by my side stood up abruptly closing the glossy foreign fashion magazine that had her on the centre fold. My dreamy interlude came to a sudden end and the nauseating smell started assaulting my nose with a vengeance.