From a Railway Carriage

You're allowed to, and more like supposed to be excited before a train journey, right? And I was. That was before I got onto the train and found my place-the upper side berth, Seat no 24, the lower occupants of which was a couple who chose to block everyone's view by keeping the curtains drawn the whole time. That meant that I could not sit down till my co-passenger wanted to sleep. I felt betrayed by the railways. I could not watch the trees and fields and scarecrows pass me by as I would when I was younger. 


R.L.Stevenson's poem, 'From a Railway Carriage', with its hills and mills and the wonderful line 'Each a glimpse and gone forever!' was always something I remembered on any train journey I had made since the day I studied the poem in the school days. I could not keep to my seat for the whole journey. I was determined to watch life pass me by in the form of blurry moving images. Sitting in the compartment opposite mine was impossible since a Gujarati family of nine members occupied it. The lack of space and the picnic-like atmosphere(Yes, Marwaris are not the food obsessed ones. Not like it's a bad thing to be food obsessed. But, I'm just stating what I observed.) in that compartment was enough to not even keep that as an option. Besides, they disliked me anyway, since I refused to switch seats with them in the beginning of the journey.(In my defence, the seat they were offering was right next to the toilets that don't smell too pleasant. Also, being the first time I was travelling alone, God knows how I'd sleep close the to the door thinking about how I'd be among the first few victims of a terrorist attack if they decided to use that door!)


With gathered optimism, I searched the coach for an empty seat that I could look out of the window from. The only seat available had a family with a squealing baby. The parents must have been so immune to the torture that none of them even bothered trying to shut it up(I mean, 'make it quiet with a gentle pat on the back'). I returned to my seat, slept, woke up to loud music(decent song, though),wrote, slept again. Now is when I'm awake, amused at my situation, and writing this. Thoughts of someone have kept me going on this journey. The last few days before this journey have been so amazing for me that this journey's not being among the best in my life, doesn't even matter. 


I wish this journey involved his being here, next to me, (jokingly) cribbing about the lack of space because of my hugeness. I know that that journey will be made on another day. Maybe with a thin me. Maybe.  For now, Bill Wither's Lean on Me is getting me into a sleepy mood. On removing my earphones, I hear the happy family next to me talking about cheese dips, moving on to talks of goat cheese, and now, goat milk vs buffalo milk. 


Help! I really wish you'd been here! At least, I'd be laughing at this. Or blocking out the world around us by lying next to you. Or better still, in your arms.


Damn. Reality sucks!