It was around 10:30 am
in the morning when I took a seat with my backpack kept at my feet. The Pune
Airport is actually extremely small; although there was a crowd today. My
flight was scheduled at 11:30 am. It’d be a minimum of half an hour before they
start boarding. I thought of reading “And the Mountains Echoed” during that
time and maybe after I board the aircraft. The flight time to Delhi is no less
than 2 hours. As I pulled the book out of my backpack, I saw her in a flash.
She was sitting right opposite to my seat, reading a
Stardust. She didn’t have the face that one would define as “beautiful”. But
definitely, if you see her once, you’d want to check again. In a wheatish look,
with dark eyes and small boy-cut hair, her face maybe termed as cute. She was
wearing a light red kurta and black jeans; carrying a tan-colored leather bag
and her legs folded while she was reading the book.
It was odd of me to stare at her for such long time, so I
immediately took rescue under Hossaini. Hardly can I read 2 lines. I realized
I’ll have to resume reading onboard. It’s impossible to read with her in front
of me. However, I still kept the book. It’s better to presume am just reading. My
phone rang. I picked it up. A bank representative asking me to apply for a
credit card.
5 minutes elapsed. I found it difficult to pretend reading
anymore. Pulled up my backpack and kept it on the chair. Putting a finger
inside the book, I walked to the nearby coffee stall and bought myself a cup of
coffee. I was constantly monitoring to see whether she has left the seat. She
was still engrossed in Stardust.
Slowly drinking the coffee, I started pretending again. This
time I pretended am looking around the airport premises. My eyes were hovering
across the tea stalls, magazine kiosks, check in booths, medicine shops and
back to her. Actually, they were constantly fixed on her -- the hovering was
insignificant. I glanced at my watch – 10:45 am.
“Passengers of Indigo flight IN231 to Hyderabad are
requested to kindly come in front of Gate 3”.
She packed the Stardust in her bag, rubbed her face with a
napkin and straight looked into my eyes. I faked a smile, which was left
without a response. She rose up and started walking towards the gate. She
stopped. As if she has lost something, she started searching her bag. Finally,
she got her cellphone. Sighing a relief, she slipped it in her jeans pocket. Old
habits die hard.
