One reason why I was hesitant to blog about this for so long was because I felt that it might sound too mushy. One reason I really want to blog about this is because I consider this as probably the best thing I have ever done for someone I like, till date. So anyway, here goes:
I had planned a trip to India after being here for one full year. I was due to be in India for the summer of 05, and that would be a full three months almost. I was excited, and so was everyone else. My girlfriend and I were more excited because we were getting to see each other unexpectedly, as we were not really sure if we would see each other for at least four years after I left. We spend the month prior to that making plans and fixing dates. I would arrive in India somewhere in June and I would return on the 9th of August. Or so she thought.
What she did not know was that I was not leaving on the 9th of August as I had told her. I was not leaving until early September. All the while as we planned dates, I was secretly planning my own dates. The reason being that her birthday falls on the 10th of August and she was slightly sad that I would have to leave just one day before her big day. I wanted to make that day special for her and I figured that it just might be a few notches more special if I was with her as a surprise, rather than just telling her that I would be there for that day. So, I discuss this plan with my close friends and try to work out the logistics. All this happened without her knowledge. All she knew was that I was flying out from Bangalore on the 9th and she was coming to Bangalore few days prior to see me off. She was due to take a train back to Hyderabad on the 9th, the same day as my flight.
The summer went by real fast and soon it was August. We both met in Bangalore on the 6th and had some real good time. She did begin to express some sadness that I was leaving, after all we were not sure when we could meet next. I did not really feel sad, because I really was not leaving the next day. It did break my heart to see her cry and I also ended up feeling a little guilty for not being able to fake some sadness. I wondered if she thought I was cold hearted. So anyway, we wake up and have another sad day. Her train is at 5pm and I tell her that my flight is at 10pm and that after her train leaves I would go to my uncles house and leave from there. That kind of served as an explanation for the small bag I was carrying with me to the station. I had secretly booked myself a ticket on the same train to Hyderabad and as luck would have it, we were to be in the same coach.
We go to the station early and wait for the train. I am doing my best to console her and at the same time trying not to smile and either give up the surprise or end up looking like a jerk. I somehow manage to hold on. The train pulls in and she gets in to her coach. She keeps her luggage on her seat and comes back to the door and stand there. I somehow convince her to go and sit on her seat. Hugs, kisses and tears later, she goes to her seat. We look at each other through the window. The whistle blows and the train starts pulling out. As soon she she moved out of sight, I run towards the door and board the train. I do not go immediately to her. I wait near the door till the train gathers some speed. I slowly started moving towards her seat. Around this time she gets up from her seat and was moving towards the toilet, to wipe her tears dry. We come face to face in the aisle and I couldn't help smiling. She looks at me and freezes for a few seconds. I am sure she must have pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Surprised, shocked, loss for words? I don't know how to explain her reaction when she saw me. All I can say was that it was priceless. She just refused to believe that I was going all the way to Hyderabad. She believed that I was getting down at the next stop. She was convinced only after I showed my ticket to the checker. The whole scenario was totally unexpected for her and as a result she spent the next 30 minutes crying. Tears of joy I hoped.
After it had sunk in for her, we sat and talked way into the night. Closer to midnight she fell asleep on my lap. I stayed awake and woke her up exactly at 12am and wished her. The next day we reached Hyderabad on time. We spend another great day together. At the end of the day she said that what I had done for her was undoubtedly the best thing that someone had ever done for her in her life. She meant what she said and I knew that she did. There was no doubts about that for me.
From among all the train journeys I have taken, this one is without doubt the best. This one journey where I did not count the number of coaches. The one journey where I did not see which engine was hauling our train. The one journey where I did not put my head out of the window or even bother to take a peek at the view outside, considering that these are the things I usually do on a train journey. There was something way better inside the train, right next to me the whole time.
I had planned a trip to India after being here for one full year. I was due to be in India for the summer of 05, and that would be a full three months almost. I was excited, and so was everyone else. My girlfriend and I were more excited because we were getting to see each other unexpectedly, as we were not really sure if we would see each other for at least four years after I left. We spend the month prior to that making plans and fixing dates. I would arrive in India somewhere in June and I would return on the 9th of August. Or so she thought.
What she did not know was that I was not leaving on the 9th of August as I had told her. I was not leaving until early September. All the while as we planned dates, I was secretly planning my own dates. The reason being that her birthday falls on the 10th of August and she was slightly sad that I would have to leave just one day before her big day. I wanted to make that day special for her and I figured that it just might be a few notches more special if I was with her as a surprise, rather than just telling her that I would be there for that day. So, I discuss this plan with my close friends and try to work out the logistics. All this happened without her knowledge. All she knew was that I was flying out from Bangalore on the 9th and she was coming to Bangalore few days prior to see me off. She was due to take a train back to Hyderabad on the 9th, the same day as my flight.
The summer went by real fast and soon it was August. We both met in Bangalore on the 6th and had some real good time. She did begin to express some sadness that I was leaving, after all we were not sure when we could meet next. I did not really feel sad, because I really was not leaving the next day. It did break my heart to see her cry and I also ended up feeling a little guilty for not being able to fake some sadness. I wondered if she thought I was cold hearted. So anyway, we wake up and have another sad day. Her train is at 5pm and I tell her that my flight is at 10pm and that after her train leaves I would go to my uncles house and leave from there. That kind of served as an explanation for the small bag I was carrying with me to the station. I had secretly booked myself a ticket on the same train to Hyderabad and as luck would have it, we were to be in the same coach.
We go to the station early and wait for the train. I am doing my best to console her and at the same time trying not to smile and either give up the surprise or end up looking like a jerk. I somehow manage to hold on. The train pulls in and she gets in to her coach. She keeps her luggage on her seat and comes back to the door and stand there. I somehow convince her to go and sit on her seat. Hugs, kisses and tears later, she goes to her seat. We look at each other through the window. The whistle blows and the train starts pulling out. As soon she she moved out of sight, I run towards the door and board the train. I do not go immediately to her. I wait near the door till the train gathers some speed. I slowly started moving towards her seat. Around this time she gets up from her seat and was moving towards the toilet, to wipe her tears dry. We come face to face in the aisle and I couldn't help smiling. She looks at me and freezes for a few seconds. I am sure she must have pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Surprised, shocked, loss for words? I don't know how to explain her reaction when she saw me. All I can say was that it was priceless. She just refused to believe that I was going all the way to Hyderabad. She believed that I was getting down at the next stop. She was convinced only after I showed my ticket to the checker. The whole scenario was totally unexpected for her and as a result she spent the next 30 minutes crying. Tears of joy I hoped.
After it had sunk in for her, we sat and talked way into the night. Closer to midnight she fell asleep on my lap. I stayed awake and woke her up exactly at 12am and wished her. The next day we reached Hyderabad on time. We spend another great day together. At the end of the day she said that what I had done for her was undoubtedly the best thing that someone had ever done for her in her life. She meant what she said and I knew that she did. There was no doubts about that for me.
From among all the train journeys I have taken, this one is without doubt the best. This one journey where I did not count the number of coaches. The one journey where I did not see which engine was hauling our train. The one journey where I did not put my head out of the window or even bother to take a peek at the view outside, considering that these are the things I usually do on a train journey. There was something way better inside the train, right next to me the whole time.
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