1
The conference had ended much later than its schedule and Chitrangada was feeling a deep need to speed up. People around her were recovering from their typical academic lackadaisical tossing and turning in their seats for a formal goodbye. Goodbyes which would comprise more conversations and promises of socialization, with a renewed zeal to take discussions forward in adjacent coffee houses or roadside benches, or at an acquaintance's terrace, with endless fags and drags and cheap beers, smoking out and washing down their pent up anguish with words. Chitrangada was in a hurry. Of nothing much but to meet her fiancé. For nothing more than discussing an inevitable break up. However reticent she was, with a distinct distaste towards words, Chitra preferred to keep her communication precise. A sudden text message and disappearance, with clouds of conjecture and assumptions brewing and bellowing around a concrete reality as serious as undoing an entire relationship, was definitely not her thing. Shuffling into her bag for her car keys, she walked out with sure footsteps such that no one could pull her into post-conference ruminating sessions!
Chitra stepped into the slow juncture of bright dusk giving way to a murky twilight. But her attention veered to something else: she spotted a young lad, with an ordinary blue suitcase, looking vaguely around and before her mind could register anything, Chitra found him speaking to her. There was an earnestness dazzling in the stranger's eyes and she couldn't help but strain her ears to block away the birds' rapturous homebound celebrations to listen to him. His face was familiar, thanks to the three-day long conference, but nothing more than that.
"Excuse me, could you tell me, which way do I go out to get a cab to the airport?"
Chitra had not moved onto the second gear within campus. Main road would be a while away with that suitcase. She was sure she would take him up and help him get a taxi. Only if he was comfortable and willing, that is. And it seemed this young guy was much more confident about Chitra and her car than anything else in this world at that moment. The awkward handshake instantaneously whispered it all into her ears - Chitra felt an uncanny excitement with it - a sense of fun, and surprise at this sudden incident. The stranger had an inescapable unkempt charm which had attracted Chitra almost instantly. Only one word crept up to her head: interesting.
It was about ten minutes that Chitra rode around the locality, with the stranger, exchanging scratchy but sure words. There was no taxi to be seen anywhere and for a moment both of them felt apprehensive. Airport was a while away. Chitra had a break up to accomplish, but reaching him to the airport felt equally important. Was it plain courtesy, or definitely something else? She couldn't pinpoint, till a cab was ushered in and Chitrangada saw him off for the airport. They sped away, each to their respective destinations. As Chitra came out of the coffee shop, alone, she felt a lightness of being, and relief. And under the dim evening the first thing she realized was that she didn't know the stranger's name. Life moves on.
2
Coming to this city and attending the conference was a part of Udayveer's job and he did that without much ado or emotion, saving bits of apprehensions, about his presentation and the not-so-familiars around.
The span came to an end and it was time for him to move. But the last evening became interesting when Udayveer invariably got late to step out. And as he did, he realized it would be a tough job to reach the airport. It was then that he could almost smell the presence of the lady. Somewhat scurrying and lost, Udayveer felt, he could approach her for a clue. But then this stranger made a surefooted gesture showing him the passenger seat and assured to get him a cab. There weren't many words exchanged between them. Udayveer didn't think twice. He shook hands with her, somewhat wobbly and then secure. Of what, he knew not. All he sensed was that the journey wouldn't be impossible. His apprehensions about delay and loss of directions were replaced by an extraordinary faith and excitement. Life does bring about these little surprises at times.
About ten minutes or even less, he was in a cab and speeding off towards the airport. The car and the stranger had disappeared in the crowd of an unknown city, but with a goodbye wave she left behind a taste of familiarity in Udayveer's heart, of a relief of gaining back lost trust. And life moved on.
3
Chitrangada, after a long time, felt a strange clarity even without much of communication, in the airy presence of this newly known stranger. And Udayveer? He flew back to his familiarity, with a fresh piece of professional memory in his laptop bag. Alongwith, there was this thought of an ending line drawn by a light pencil, scratchy yet sure. Later in the night, the world somewhere saw them meet, Chitrangada and Udayveer, in each other's thoughts. Shedding the cocoon of unfamiliarity, they came closer to each other, in strains of thoughts, imagination and fantasy, all triggered in that moment that wasn't.
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