Best days Come Back!!

This post is part of BlogchatterA2Z challenge for the Theme 2021 Un-Travel

I wanted to write about so many things today.. I wanted to think of many other topics.. BUT, my as ever autopilot thoughts as un-expandable they are.. I couldn’t think of much but my Birthday!! Honestly this one particular day of the year (where I make an addition of another 1 to my existence on this earth) doesn’t make me feel that special like others.. Why!! Don’t ask me that.. You have to agree that I am an odd creation of the creator of all, Svayambhu.

I am sure Grandpa Prajapati’s JIO server was terribly out of order for some days while he was curving my indispensable body parts.. arree!! You didn’t understand!! I mean the crucial body parts for which I became human!! Those frontal lobe, grey matter, cerebrum, heartbeat, nice candy-pink tongue etc etc!! Such a mess he has made of me!! But no point complaining, after managing some decades on this earth with this un-manageable personality!!

So, we were talking about birthday. I could only think of birthday for this post today. My best birthday gift so far has been, when I presented myself a vacation.. where isn’t important at all.. but ‘what’ is important here. It was another SOLO-trip, another short-term sense of freedom and some suitcase full of evergreen moments. I actually know why I couldn’t think of anything else.. It’s been way too long that I have become way too friendly with my-mother’s-dahez-ka king-size bed, my stuffed-room, those damped walls of the bathroom or to make it easier for you.. there hasn’t been some travelling out of the city-county-country for a very long time now!

Since last night, all I am visualising is one sunset of that trip. I always wanted to see the sky turning cobalt, then purple, then fuscia or hot pink.. actually I have an interesting story to tell you here.. short but interesting…

So early in the evening I was strolling in the beach, watching people relaxing, practising yoga, attending yoga classes on the beach, locals-tourists- foreign tourists (it’s important to segregate them sometimes) minding their own business or not.. actually not everyone loves to mind their own business.. I am diverting from what I was saying because here comes the story..

As innocent I am.. I was undoubtedly minding my own business on the beach.. after sometime, when I had had enough of strolling, I decided to slowly sip some chilled juice for which I had to come up the cliff to find a small shack with less people inside minding their own business!!

‘Excuse me!’… … Few more steps up the cliff.. ‘Hi Excuse me.. Can we talk?’

One cute baby boy (not a cuddly cute one.. but definitely quite younger to me and I could bet a 10 rs. note on that) with another friend purposely lagging behind stopped me on the way! You know, as innocent I am, I am no one to encourage all these.. so the conversation (in brief) went like this..

‘Hi Excuse me.. Can we talk?’

‘This is regarding??’

‘.. Um.. no just like that.. I saw you were roaming alone, I thought maybe we could talk!’

‘Maybe that’s because I like to roam alone!’

‘Ok, but still we can talk?’

!!!! ‘Why indeed?’

‘You don’t like to talk?’

‘Yes, I don’t like to talk.. to strangers!’

‘Do minute baat karne main kya jata hain?’ I gave a quick look at him and immediately to his friend, still purposely keeping a close distance in between.. And I got it.. If I wouldn’t talk, it would be a ‘prestige issue’ for him.

‘Just two minutes.’

‘Ya sure!’ If desperation was a mountain! The friend lagging behind left him on his own and the following two minutes which surely became 20 was something like this..

‘So why are you travelling alone?’

‘Because there’s no one with me at the moment?’

‘So are you a local or tourist here?’

‘A tourist.’

‘O where from?’

‘I am from the east.’

‘Ok which city?’

‘Kolkata.’

‘Oo, so you are a Bengali?’

‘Just like all Kolkatans are!’

‘.. Ok… I am from Delhi, we live in Gurgaon though.. I am an engineer, I got my placement here in Kochi. So currently living in Kochi. I came here with my friends by car; we will go back to Kochi after dinner.’

‘Oo, ok.. so why aren’t you with your friends?’

‘No I am with them.. It’s just that.. I mean I saw you.. and I saw you alone.. and I was little curious about you!’

‘Curious as in a girl roaming alone makes people curious!’

‘You don’t like to talk? Do you?

‘As I said, I don’t talk to strangers easily.’

‘Oookay.. yes.. I saw you roaming alone and I wanted to know why.. you are here for vacation or work?’

‘For vacation.’

‘With your parents or boyfriend?’ this question has to come!!!

‘Alone.’

‘Alone?’

‘Isn’t that possible?’

‘No it is.. you mean you have come from Kolkata on vacation all alone?’

‘That’s what I meant. You are correct.’

‘Wow.. I have never met an Indian girl travelling all alone. So what do you do?’

‘Lot of things.. what specifically you want to know here?’

‘I mean what do you do for a living or earning?’

‘I have parents.’

‘Right.. so you like travelling alone? How long is this vacation?’

‘Yes I do. This holiday isn’t very long’

‘Still how many days?’

’10 days.’

’10 days??? And you are travelling alone?’… … ‘And your parents allowed you?’

‘I had some luck.’

‘So you are single?’

‘Why you want to know?’

‘No just like that.’

‘I am getting married in few months.’

‘Married?? How old are you? I mean sorry.. if you don’t mind.. You look so young..’

‘How young?’

‘I thought you are in college.. you look so tiny..’

‘Thank you.. but I think I am way too older to you.’

‘Can’t be.. I am 26.’

‘Then I am definitely way too older to you.’

‘Really?? How much older?’

‘Wow.. I have never seen something like this!’

‘You like sunset?’… ‘You surely do.. don’t you?’

‘Sorry.. Can I spend some moment here by myself please.. I will disappoint you here.. but I think you have to go back to your friends now.’

‘I get it.. but you can join us for dinner.. I will be in that restaurant.. or may be for some coffee or a drink?’

‘Thank you.. but I will manage.’

‘May I know you name at least?’

‘Just consider me as a stranger.. a rude one for sure.’

‘Ohh.. no no.. you have been quite clear from the very beginning.. and I am sure you won’t like to keep in touch in future.. but it was a pleasure meeting you..’

So thanks to that dramatic sunset that I finally got rid of that cute baby boy.. but I still remember that conversation.. I still simper in the middle of nowhere, remembering that walk, his earnest effort to make to talk, his little disheartened face.. ** I really didn’t want to be rude, but I was so engrossed in my ‘ME’ time that day..

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