DOMBIVALI FAST

Strong light beams were blinding my eyes. I could not see anything in front of me. Noise decibels are rising like never before and the girl in her red saree is looking down as if she is a bride. Oh! shit, she is a bride and why the fuck am I dressed like a bridegroom. For heaven sake I’m getting married!!!  I wanted to run away but I was fixed to the platform as if I was a statue stationed there for centuries. I’m trying to keep my hand down which has a nuptial knot. My hands rose to her neck as if it was remotely controlled by someone else. Oh! God save me or it will be game over and suddenly the platform broke and I suddenly started falling down. I woke up from my dream.

Thank God, it was dream, but the fact is that, it is the second time I’m seeing this same dream for last one week. What is wrong?  Am I game for marriage? Is it the God’s way of saying, its time to stop sleeping in different places and different bed?  May be it the effect of my Indian parents!! Indian Parents are the most classical creations of the God who keeps of telling you to Study till u are in school. Once you are out of School and get job they replace Study with Marriage.  I don’t know what to do so I decided to be prepared for the disaster. First thing I need is a place to stay once I get married.

My room mate was very clear that we need to buy a property in Mumbai so that we don’t need to pay the rent. So I also decided to check out few properties available in Mumbai. It was very clear that, it is going to be a tough job to get a decent place with in my budget. Now the plan was to get something outside Mumbai.

My roommate was in his village and I will be bored if I go back to apartment in Lower Parel. So after my office I took a Kalyan Fast from CST. I’ve planned to get down at Dombivali and meet a builder there whom I’ve spoken over phone. This will kill some time and I will not be bored in my residence all alone. It was a wise decision to alight the train from CST, so that I got a place to sit. By the time the train reached Byculla the train became Jam packed. Late Night Chat the previous day helped me to catch a nap in the noisy crowded train.

This late night chat has become a habit these days. She was just a fun friend in the beginning. I never knew when my Fun Buddy will become my F-Buddy. She was not a beauty quean, but was always amazing.  I always enjoyed her company. I ignored my friends for her. She was intelligent and not emotional like all those girly girls whom I’ve been with.  She was a good friend whom I can share anything and everything. She was one of those special friends with whom, I don’t mind shedding my tears. Today I’ll be meeting her again after 4 months. 

I was in deep sleep and the dream happened again and I woke up from my sleep. Were my imaginations going wild or does the bride in my dream had real resemblance to my F-Buddy?  I was sweating in the noisy crowded second class compartment. I could hear people shouting CST, CST. What the fuck is happening? Did I sleep so much that I came back in the same train to CST?  I looked out, and realized the train is moving in the same direction. The train stopped at Mullund station and I could hear, people making some strange comment about taking the chair to home and all. I couldn’t comprehend what they were trying to say and I tried to catch a sleep again.

I got out in Dombivali station and I started looking out for her. I called her and she asked me to come near the ticket counter.  She has gained a few kilos, but still looks stunning. We briefly hugged and moved out. We took a auto and directly went to meet the builder. I could smell her favourite perfume and she looked even more beautiful than last time. The builder gave an offer of 25% black money which will be almost 15  to 20 Lacks.  I almost knew this is not going to happen. I took the palm lets where the artistic view of the building and the garden around it. I loked at the swap land and wondered how it could be like the picture they have depicted in the palm-let.

I was done for the day and wanted to catch the next train and get back to Lower Parel. Then she gave me an offer, which I couldn’t reject. She told me, that we can have dinner and I can stay with her as her room mate is out of station.  After dinner we went to her one bedroom apartment. It clearly suggest that it was a girls apartment. There were colourful lamp shades, wind shields. I could see some pink chart papers stuck to the wall where there was Tom Cruse and Rahul Dravid smiling at me.

I offered to make coffee for her when she went to take bath.  I carefully prepared two cups of coffee and by the time she came out of bathroom with her wet hair. Water droplets were dropping of her wet hair. God has created girls in such a manner that, every moment she looks different and beautiful. We sipped our coffe and talked about many things. She took my coffee mug and went to kitchen to wash them. I double checked my wallet that, I’m not carrying any protection today. I’ve to go to Shabarimala in next 20 days. I’ve to be in my brahmachrya mode. This is becoming real test of my nerves. I told her I’m not well and need to catch some sleep. She took me to the bedroom and made me sleep in the bed. I could feel her hands over my forehead.  How can I sleep with a girl next to me and not do anything. I acted as I slept and was sleepless whole night. I could see her sleeping like a small kid next to me.



I was sleep less for the whole night and took a bath and was ready to go to office. She was still sleeping. I sat next to her looking at her innocent face. I woke her with a soft kiss over her eyelids. I bid good bye to her and told, will make up to the lost night someday.  She gave me a weak smile and pulled me towards her and kissed my nose and said good bye.

I took a fast train to my work place. When I watched, the movie “Wednesdy”, I couldn’t really feel the pain of the protagonist who lost his co-passenger. Today after living in Mumbai for two years I know how important these local trains are. I started talking to a daily traveller in the train and he explained how this train has become the part of his life.  He told me that; there many friends he got in his four hour train journey everyday.  He told me that there were instances, his train mates have planned picnics and shares a good chemistry each other.

As we were talking a guy in his late 20s gave my co passenger a wedding invitation. I was surprised to know that, these guys have nothing in common other than the train they travel. They work in different companies, gets into the train from different stations and get down at different stations. But still they share good relationship. By the time he had distributed at least 20 wedding cards in the compartment. Most astonishing part was that, he went near the ladies compartment and handed over a card to a young lady through the grill.

Now I know why they call, Mumbai local the life line. It is not life line; it is actually life for some people. My newly found friend stood up from his seat and a guy wished him good morning and sat in his place. I was so surprised by his gesture and asked him why he stood up, as it is going to take at least half an hour to reach CST. He told me that it is an unwritten rule in the train to stand up for those who are standing as I was sitting for last 70 -80 mins. Now I know why people were shouting CST in Mulund, while I was sleeping. They were expecting me to stand up for them and was suggesting I was sitting from CST.

It took me some time to understand the Mumbai Lingo, now I’ve to learn the unwritten rules of train travel also. After office that day I went to my home as I was sleepy. I’ve not slept the day before. I quickly went to sleep and as expected I was woken up by the same dream.

I lost my dream and switched on my laptop to check my mails as I’ve not done it for two days.  I saw a mail from my Dombivali friend. I opened it and it was her wedding invitation.

Epilogue:-

The very next day I had a very bad dream. I was attending her marriage and to my surprise; her bridegroom was the same guy who was distributing his Marriage invitation in Dombivali Fast. It was bad, but for the first time in last couple of weeks I had a different dream.