Kaveri Express

This is a short-essay-story from Raju's Diary.

The train halted at Chennai Central arriving an hour late to the scheduled time. Raju pulled his leather carry bag and rushed out of the coupe, thinking about plans to get back to his project in Bangalore.

He walked a few compartments and stumbled upon an aged couple. This old uncle was bargaining with a cooliewala for he would pay only Rs.25 for carrying his luggage through the platform. Next to him was Kiran, Raju's first love...

Raju used to hate the terms used by his friends at school. Puppy love or infatuation. He still thinks it is a small, tiny, miniscule or a little form of love. 'Wouldn't it be cute to call it just Love?' Raju used to ask his friends. But there is no one to answer his question now. Just the crowd of busy passengers unboarding Kaveri Express.

Kiran and Raju studied Class 11 & 12 together - the sections were identified 11C and 12C, C being either the 3rd section or the CompSci students. Raju used to call it the CompSciWizards Section. He was proud that he was studying Computer Science and that Kiran was also in his section. Kiran used to sit in the last and Raju sometimes in the front bench, simply because he was short or the teachers would ask him to.

He followed carefully to his favourite teachers in English and Physics. Otherwise he was no bookworm or mr.studious junior. He just loved some subjects and enjoyed learning them until exams would doom his scores... and hopes.

'Is that really her? I must be suffering from a memory loss if I don't recognise her glasses! Yes, It is Kiran indeed' assures Raju. Kiran was tensed over something. Probably over the Cooliewala's bargain. 'But that needn't trouble her so much' Raju says to himself.

Raju wished he could say some thing to Kiran,
-'hi Kiran, how are you'
-'hi, do you recognize me?'
-'Hi, should I help you carry the bags?'

Nothing came out of his mouth. It wouldn't open. Just wouldn't. He smiled at her, just in case she was looking at him. Even if she gazed over the crowd and spotted him, he wondered if she would recognise him, for Raju is having a different outlook from his school days. Those days when his proposal to Kiran failed, rather miserably he admits.

Leaning on a parcel van at the platform, Raju writes a quick note. 'If you happen to read this note, I am sorry Kiran, for the embaressment I had brought you back in school. May be we should meet again and share our thoughts and take time out from work. Now I am tall. I am a grown-up just like you. I manage a business. I can understand situations and correct my mistakes. I wish you will forgive me. Your old new friend, chota Raju.'

He soon dropped this note into Kirans' bag by tipping the Cooliewala. He took an autoric and rushed back home to work on the project. Kaveri Express would soon leave the platform, and knit old new friends on her next journey...