Hey there..!! Hey you. Yes, I’m talking to you. If you are thinking of a story like this then I’m sorry. This is not like any romantic stories where a boy meets a girl and falls in love ending up with his first-time sex. This story is about something much more than sex and stuff. This story is about a love lost in time, found at the right moment leading to eternal pleasure.
Okay, okay. No more suspense. So here it is. This is the story about my first time, my first-time journey in train. Shocked…!!! Well, you should be. The more surprising thing is I’m already 19+ and I had not ridden a train until that day. You can think of it as a silly thing, an act of mental illness or whatsoever. But to be honest, I don’t care. For me, it was a long last love which met its destiny eventually. A love that has no end. A love that has no limit. A love for travel. A love for exploring new things. A love for adventure. Okay, let me start from the very beginning.
It was a boring tiring afternoon. I was working on my notice period in my last company which was…. Well, let’s not talk about that place. It’ll ruin the mood. So, I was counting my last days there. I had already got another job in another company. I had confirmed everything so there was no reason to contact them again. But that day, they called me again, for the third time. I was like, “Come on man. I will go there on the due date. Why these guys are calling me again?” I picked up the call and as usual, they confirmed about my joining. I assured them about my joining and also told them that there’ll be no more problem from this company. Then he asked me one question which almost made me fall on the floor. The conversation was like this:
He asked, “We’re planning to go on a picnic. You don’t have any problems right?” I said, “ No, Sir. I don’t have any problems. But where are we going?” He said, “ Gangtok.” I said, (*inside my mind) “WHAT..!!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT…!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU SERIOUS?” I said normally, “No, sir. I don’t have any problems.” He said, “Cool then. See you on Friday.” I said, “See you, sir. Bye”
I hung up the phone. I opened the window and had some fresh air. Then I jumped on the floor and continued jumping for the next 5 mins. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I couldn’t control my laugh. Now, just imagine. You’ve never ever traveled to a long distance from your hometown but you have always loved the idea of traveling. You’re joining a new company. And within a week, the company will take you to Gangtok, one of the most beautiful cities in India. How will you react?
For the next 10 last days of my old job, I couldn’t focus on my work. I couldn’t wait for 10 more days to get out of this shitty trap & go to that beautiful place. If I could make changes in time, then I would’ve fastened the time speed. But sadly, I had to wait. Well, no worries. When your destination is so beautiful, you can wait for it. And the result will worth the time.
I joined the new company on the due date. But to my disappointment, the plan had changed. Due to some issues, the destination had changed from Gangtok to Vizag. Well, I’ve not seen Vizag either. So it was not much of a worry. I was still excited to ride the train for the first time. When a person has a job change, it takes time to get adjusted to the new atmosphere. But to my surprise, I didn’t feel like joining a new company. The atmosphere was so friendly that I almost forgot that I was the new one there. On the first day, I made a lot of friends and things got even better. We all were excited about the trip and were discussing that over and over. The day before the D-Day, we got our official ID cards, Official T-shirts which acted like fuels to the burning excitement.
Our train was scheduled late in the night, at 1.30 am. I couldn’t wait for any more at my hostel and left for the station at 10.00 pm. I entered the station and went to the waiting room. I have always imagined myself reading a storybook or a novel at the station and inside a train. That day, I got the chance to fulfill it. I took out the book from my bag and started reading it. In between those moments, I often looked over the book and had a complete view of the waiting hall. I saw people lying on the floor, waiting for their train. I saw a little angel dancing to its own music. I saw an old woman having her dinner in the corner of the hall. I saw young people having a nap on the waiting bench. I thought of taking a nap but was too scared to lose my belongings. So I concentrated on the book. My colleagues reached the station before due time. We all waited for our train as it was the time.
Finally, our wait got over and our train arrived. We entered the train. But unfortunately, I was in a separate compartment along with another colleague than the others. I, somehow, got my seat. But she was too scared to climb the stairs to her bed. So, our leader exchanged his seat with her and took her to the other compartment. I was there alone, sleeping on my seat, staring blankly at the top roof. The train blew the horn and started its journey. I still couldn’t believe that I was on a train. A real train. Her engines made different sounds and I focused on her rhythm. Her rhythm was slow at first and then boosted up. My body continued to shake as per her rhythm. I was so satisfied that I can not explain it in words.
But then I felt extremely hungry and posted a status on my WhatsApp. One of my colleagues read my status and sent some biscuits with sir. I ate them and continued staring at the roof. Shaking to her rhythm I drifted off to sleep. When I opened my eyes, it was 5.00 in the morning. I checked my google map and I was in Andhra Pradesh. I was still not sure if it was Andhra or not. When the sun showed some light, I & sir went to the other compartment where the others were sitting. We sat there and had some small chitchat. When I looked out of the window there were a lot of signages on the side of the roads. But I couldn’t read any of them. They were all in Telugu. Then I assured myself that “Yes, I’m in Andhra”. I went up to the door and stood there for a long time feeling the cool morning fresh air satisfying each corner of my soul. On that very moment, I promised myself that I was born to travel & I’ll fulfill my destiny.
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