The Last Stop.

Part 1

Rushed steps. Running feet. The pavement never forgot the rhythmic clatter of her hurried steps. She was the gust of wind that stopped only at the bus stop. Breathing heavily, she sat down on one of the steel seats which were as hot as ever. She opened her handbag and fished out the mirror to check her makeup. While a few of the men stared at her as if she was designed for their gaze, she waited for the one who had not come yet. Before he arrived, the rest of the crowd had headed their own ways, most of them going to the temple on the day of the festival by the early morning bus.

She waited both for him and the bus everyday and never knew whom to go with. Fortunately he made it to the stop before the bus, providing that little window of time for them to have another random conversation. He sat down beside her and both of them found themselves searching for an icebreaker. He started with a subtle " I think the bus will be late today" while hiding that smile which peeked from the corner of his lips. "Yes, I think so too." , she said and off they went on the irregular ride of their conversation. Inspire of the bus stop being deserted except for the 2 of them, it was full of life for them. They were like the lamps of Diwali; lighting up the darkest and quietest of places.

The moment which she dreaded arrived a bit too soon and the driver opened the doors which she was compelled to walk through everyday. They exchanged 'bye's and she got on the bus. She wondered when his bus would arrive. He always said that it used to come about 5 minutes after hers and she always wanted to wait there for those 5 minutes of infinite bliss.

Neha was stuck in the monotonous routine of life just like many others. Apart from the routine being boring, she didn't have her mobile to pass time that day. She had been listening to one of the recordings of Raghav's voice which she had recorded when he called her the last time. " I'm fine, don't worry. It's just the noise of the firecrackers." he said right before the phone slipped off her hand. She sighed at her clumsiness and replayed those recordings in her mind till she reached her stop.

She reached her cubicle and greeted her colleague Sanchi and the day passed reluctantly. During the lunch break, she was informed by the Pune that there was a call for her at the front desk. Sanchi winked at her and Neha giggled all the way to the telephone. She picked it up and to her surprise, it was him. As soon as she heard a 'hello' a loud noise like that of an explosion and the shattering of window followed. She repeated his name anxiously to get at least a sign of him being okay. The call disconnected and she stood there, frozen for a moment or two. She redialed his number and by god's grace, he picked up. " I'm fine, don't worry. It's just those firecrackers. I'm sorry, I can't hear you now, I'll talk to you later. Bye ." He said. She whispered a 'bye' almost as quiet as silence. She was relieved as he was fine but she didn't quite get it. Why had he called her? Being more confused than ever, she returned to her desk, determined to ask him about this call when she met him the next day.

Her day had been quite strange and to add to it, the other him (Samar) had not come to the office that day. Samar was the so-called suitable groom that her parents had chosen for her. He was her future husband and she despised this fact and him. Never did he miss the opportunity of bothering her with a conversation and she wondered why he missed it today.

The time of parting with the day arrived at 6pm and she rushed to the bus stop near her office. She sighed with relief on realising that she won't have to deal with an awkward interaction with Samar. Ironically, she liked the journey to the office more than that of going home unlike everyone else. Perhaps the likability of journeys always depended on one's companion and a quiet time with Raghav's thoughts was better than Samar's intense stare.

On getting down from the bus, she rushed to the mobile shop where she had given her mobile in order to get it repaired. The shop's owner informed her that it would take a few more hours so she might as well pick it up in the morning. She accepted thought of spending another boring evening and started walking home. After having an early dinner, she decided to call it a day.

The next day was the same as any other. After leaving the house, she ran to the mobile shop and picked it up. As she was already getting late, she didn't get time to check her phone. For a change, Raghav was there, waiting for her. They greeted one other and she finally asked him about the phone call. He displayed a broad smile and said that he had quit the job that he had always hated and found the opportunity that he was waiting for. Moreover, his new office was situated near the post office of the same area as that of her office. He clarified that he was celebrating with his friends while a procession was passing by and due to the firecrackers burst in the procession, he wasn't able to talk to her. That day, she didn't have to make do with his memories while sitting in the bus. She didn't have to remember his voice; she could hear him quite well.

They got down at the same stop and smiled, and headed their own ways. But when she shouted "see ya in the evening", he responded by a smile and a "hmm" which she found a bit strange.

While walking towards her cubicle, she saw Samar mischievously smiling at her and she was completely creeped out by him. When she got to her desk, she got a call from Samar to come and meet him in the pantry. She somehow brought herself to go there. What did he want? She had no clue, which was scary. But it wasn't the scariest part.

When she reached there, he held her by the arms and stared into her eyes. She tried to stay calm while he stared in her eyes as if he was trying to find a lie. He laughed raucously and said, "Neha, it's time that we fulfil the long felt wishes of our parents. I think we should get engaged as soon as possible. This is the perfect time to make our bond stronger. No one can come between us now, sweetheart. " " I'm sorry I can't hear you now, I'll talk to you later. Bye.", said the recording on his phone that he played. Raghav's voice on his phone. She froze. Drops of sweat trickled down her back while she tried to get away from his grip. Looking at the fear in her eyes, he let go, feeling satisfied. She ran to the washroom and stared at the mirror. What did just happen there? How did he get those recordings? He must have bribed that mobile shop owner and stolen it from her phone. Somehow, she composed herself, put on the best fake smile she could manage and got back to her desk. It was going to be a long day.

To take her mind of Samar, she checked her phone. There were 20 missed calls from Sanchi who had not turned up for work that day. When she called her back, all that Sanchi kept yelling was " Why didn't you pick up the damn phone?". When Neha started explaining why, Sanchi interrupted her and said, " Listen to me, carefully. It's really important. When I was leaving for home yesterday evening, I saw Samar and a few of his friends talking. When I passed by, I heard them talk about Raghav. Samar spoke of removing 'this obstacle ' from the distance between you both. He has been spying on you! He hired a guy to spy on you right from the moment you step out of your house till you get back from work. He knows all about Raghav and you!" Neha gasped. Her voice didn't dare to escape her mouth because if it did, it would be just a scream. She felt that her life had turned into a silent film where she could feel emotions but couldn't use words to express them. "Hello? Are you there?" , Sanchi asked. Neha said, "I'll talk to you later" and hung up.

She didn't know if she could confront Samar. There was an unsettling feeling in her heart and all of those things kept ringing in her ears. She called Raghav dozens of times but he didn't pick it up. All of a sudden, nobody was answering her questions.

When she finally rushed out of the office, with her heart beating faster than she could ever run, she didn't see Samar in his cubicle which was a relief but also threatening. She reached the bus stop and waited for both of them. She didn't know what would happen, but most importantly she didn't know what had happened.