It was just like any other day in the metro. There was me, a compartment full of strangers and the noise of them chatting, some on the phone, some amongst themselves. Everything was just as it was everyday, and it was a very long a lonely journey back home.
My legs were just about to give up on me when finally we pulled into Rajiv chowk station and I breathed a sigh of relief by plumping myself down on the seat that had just been vacated by that teenager memorising Italian words.
No sooner had I put my headphones on that I noticed a group of girls that had just got on. I don't know what it was about this particular group (just three to be precise) that caught my eye. I was sure I knew them. I racked my brain and then racked it some more but I couldn't figure it out. I often noticed well dressed people in the metro but this time seemed different. Not to say that they weren't well dressed! They looked like goddamn super models. But since I couldn't figure out who they were I just let it be.
I was just going through my Facebook notifications when suddenly I saw one of the girls on my wall. It was Nandini! And who is this Nandini you must be wondering? Well, she was in my school in 4th grade. Or rather I was in hers with the other two, though I can't seem to recall their names. This was when I was in Bombay. At the end of 4th grade my dad changed his job and we moved here to Delhi. Like any normal teenager I later stalked my old friends and added them on Facebook. I never saw any updates from them though and frankly I wasn't majorly interested because I was sure I'd never see them again. I did want to stay in touch with a few but time changes circumstances and nobody is at fault. Anyway, how did I recognise this girl? I didn't have to guess, she looked exactly like she did when she was 9! She was just more, how do you say, polished now. All of them were, like they'd just come out of some glossy magazine cover. So now that I knew that I knew her, I didn't know what I was going to do with that realisation.
Did I talk to her you ask? No. No i didn't. I thought about it. I thought about it constantly for the next hour that they sat opposite me, talking about where they'd been and where they were yet to go. I don't know why I didn't talk to her. It could've been so easy. Either she'd remember me or she wouldn't. But even though there were only these two possible outcomes, the likelihood of the second and it's accompanying embarrassment kept me from saying anything and I just sat there looking at them, silently, thinking about what my life could have been had I not moved away. Would I know them? Would I be popular? Would I look like they did? Have their life? My life's not bad and neither do i look too shabby. But staring at them and their aura I felt smaller than I'd ever felt before. I was sure she didn't remember me. Why would she? What would remind her of the me I used to be? That girl wasn't in me anymore, I'd let her go a long time ago. In her place now was someone who was hardened by the pain of loneliness and the loss of innocence.
Two stations before mine they were finally getting up to go. None of them had noticed me till now. Just as they were about to get off, Nandini dropped her wallet on the floor, right in front of me. I panicked. I'd done such a good job of ignoring her all this time, I wasn't prepared to blow my cover.
But the doors would close soon and all the bags she was carrying made it difficult for her to kneel to pick the wallet up. I decided to do the right thing. In that second when I reached to give her her fallen wallet, I saw the look in her eyes change. She knew it was me. And she was smiling. But her friends had grabbed her and were pulling her out and the doors were about to close so she didn't have a choice. Holding my gaze, she ran out. I could see her standing at the platform telling the others, telling them who I was and how we'd been best friends a long long time ago. What happened next was something I didn't expect. They all screamed out my name to get my attention and stood there on the platform jumping and waving. One of the other two also tried to get the door to open again. I was stunned. I didn't know how to react to their sudden burst of recognition. I just sat there, blushing because of all the eyes that were on me, and I just smiled and waved a little. And then they were gone.
I've wondered what happened to them since then. It's been two days and I haven't seen them yet. I might though. I guess I hope I do. And when I do I'll talk to them. Because they remember me. They recognise me. And that in itself is amazing.
