Bade Acche Lagte Hain | MaNan

Their First Journey.

16th January, 1996.

Pushing their luggage under the reserved berth, and then dusting off his hands, Manik rose on his feet and counted their bags in his mind. There were total five in number. Two medium sized trolley bags - red and black, each dedicated to Manik's and Nandini's clothes, one duffle bag that contained the blankets and shawls, other carrier bag solely for the machinery oil packets Manik had to deliver to one of his customer in Katra who happens to be a hotel owner where they'd be staying for a night and another carpet bag that was hanging on the hinges provided in the train, contained the food items, water bottles and other small essentials.

"If I'd done the packing, the number of bags would have been lesser." Manik pointed out with an experienced smirk. While supplying the spare parts of big vehicles, he also does it's packing in the sacks or cartons on his own when the labour is less and was quite efficient at doing it in the minimal space, decreasing the total cost that was calculated per sack or carton in transportation.

Struggling to fix the barrel bolt of the window, Nandini rolled her eyes, slightly shaking her head hearing the similar words for the fourth time in a row since around five in the morning and it was just quarter to six.

First time when he saw the luggage assembled in the living room of their home which was before meeting the Virani's and taking their blessings for the trip, second while hiring an auto and placing the luggage inside, third while carrying it to the train where she'd contributed equally and also when he stacked it within their small space in the train efficiently that is now.

She chose not to answer. In the last few days, he was tied up in completing maximum business related work, not to forget the huge order he'd to fulfill, to compensate for his absence in the following week and if she'd waited for him to think, remember and start the packing, then at this moment, they must have been at their home arguing over him forgetting to pack the kerchiefs and she'd to check everything once again to be on the safer side or she taking too much space for her clothes which was clear injustice to his clothes.

He still doubted that she'd taken some space in his trolley bag for her things and his clothes would have easily fitted in a smaller bag, which was true to a certain extent but she wasn't going to admit that to him and rub his ego.

Neither could she had let him see the rose pink sleeveless satin nightgown she'd purchased in Delhi on Sapna's insistence and many more different style clothes that she was hesitant and neither allowed to wear before the other family members, she had packed especially for this trip.

Blushing to herself, she concluded that they would have definitely missed their train otherwise and she couldn't afford that when she was so excited for their trip. So it was the best that she did the packing.

"Let me do it." His fingers brushed her's like a mild breeze when she removed her hand from the bolt and let him fix the window that was troublesome and would slide down.

Fisting her hands on her lap, she looked around and sighed on finding their coach almost empty with few passersby searching their berths as there was still time for the train to depart, but her husband preferred to be before time and relaxingly wait rather than rushing to catch the train last minute. And with so much luggage, she preferred nothing different.

"There, it's done." He said, straightening his spine and looking at her with a smile. Showing her pearly white teeth in gratitude, she gripped the iron railing whose blue oil paint had almost chaffed off due to the rust, and roamed her eyes from one end of the platform to the other, enjoying the view of the vendors selling various eatables and regular use items needed during traveling, the passengers rushing to board the train on the opposite platform that was ready to depart, some mothers dragging their kids who were still half asleep and had irritation etched over their entire face for being disturbed at an odd hour. At another door - two men were quarrelling on who had set his foot first near the train door and had the right to enter first while a third person taking the advantage of it, slid his luggage and ushered his family to get in. She chuckled.