Jamal Uddin Robel
The bus was almost full. I went to the back of the bus and sat on the last seat. It was a couple of hour journey and I wanted to utilize the time to plan all the fun things to do during the vacation. I couldn’t wait to get back to my hometown and meet my family and childhood friends. Around 30 minutes into the journey it started raining. The route was a scenic one with plenty of greenery along the way. The rain made it even more aesthetic.
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice the bus stopping at the next town. A few people got into the bus and started scurrying to occupy the remaining seats. Now the seat next to me was the only vacant seat left on the whole bus. Suddenly I heard the words “ Excuse me” which brought me back to reality. It was a very sweet voice but the tone was firm. I looked up and was left dumbstruck. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life.
The girl was drenched in rain. She was wearing a green top and light blue jeans. The rain water droplets dripping from her hair onto her face made her glowing skin even more radiant. Her beautiful eyes and pink lips were mesmerizing. I just stared at her without blinking. Words had abandoned me and my mind was caught up in her hypnotic beauty.
The girl waved her hand in front of my face and said “ Hello ! Can you please move”. Without uttering a word, I moved towards the window and made space for her. The girl sat down next to me and opened her bag. She pulled out a small mirror and started fixing her hair.
“I want to talk to her. But how do I start the conversation” I thought. I had never been all that friendly with any girl until now. But then, I had never met a girl like this, to feel the need for it. “If only I had practiced flirting with some of the girls in college!! Why didn’t I listen to my friends? And why the hell did I decide not to shave last night” I cursed myself. The girl took out a book from her bag and started reading .
“Think of something damn it! What do I say to her? Should I compliment her? Tell her how pretty she is. No that’s would be too obvious. Oh God, please help me out here”. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Finally I decided to play safe and stick to something general. “It’s raining pretty heavily. Looks like it’s not going to stop anytime soon right..” me, looking at her gorgeous face. I had never thought speaking about the weather could be so taxing. My heart was beating so fast that I could hear it louder than the bus’s engine.
I waited in anticipation for her reply. Those milliseconds felt like ages. The girl turned around, looked at me and smiled. Then i turned away and started looking at the road again. “Strike out!! What the hell was I thinking? Why couldn’t I think of a better topic to talk about!! “I’m talking to myself. Suddenly I noticed something. A pen had fallen down below the seat. I bent down and picked it up. “I have got a second chance. I must not blow it this time” I was talking to myself.
“Excuse me, is this your pen?“ I asked her, gazing at her bewitchingly beautiful eyes. She turned around had a long look at me and nodded her head to say no. I was heartbroken. “That was definitely my last chance” I thought. I decided not to make a fool of myself again. So I just turned my head away from her and started looking outside the window.
2 hours went by. The bus traversed through the most beautiful trails filled with lush green trees. But I wasn’t really looking. All I could think about was her pretty face. But I couldn’t muster the courage to look at her and speak to her again. So I continued to stare outside the window blankly.
The bus reached the next town and stopped at the bus station. People started getting down from the bus. The girl sitting next to me also stood up. She tapped me on my shoulder and said “Hey,is this your mobile? It had fallen down.” I turned around startled, almost terrified. I looked at her hands. It was actually my mobile. I nodded yes and took it from her. Before I could say something, she turned around, walked towards the bus door and got down from the bus.
The bus started moving away from the stop. I stuck my head out of the window trying to get one last glimpse of her pretty face. But she was looking away. When I was about to give up, she turned around and gave me a bright wide smile. My heart skipped a beat. I started grinning like a fool and waved my hand at her and bid goodbye.
I got back into my seat and tried to regain my composure. But it was impossible. I was brimming with joy. Suddenly the thought hit me. “I might never see her again. What should I do?”. I remembered one of my friends was living in the town where she had got down from the bus. I took out my mobile to call him to ask if he was anywhere near the bus stop.
As I unlocked my mobile, I was left stunned. There was saved draft message on the screen. “Hi this is Kubra, the girl who was sitting next to you. I waited for 2 hours, hoping you would talk to me again. But you didn’t. Anyways in case you change your mind, this is my number: +8801xxxxxxxx.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were overflowing with tears of joy. I calmed myself down and dialed her number. I heard a sweet voice at the other end “Hello, what took you so long!!!
Jamal Uddin Robel ,Student of the Department of English ,Cox’s Bazar Government College.
আমরা সংবিধান ও জনমতের প্রতি শ্রদ্ধাশীল। তাই ধর্ম ও রাষ্ট্রবিরোধী এবং উষ্কানীমূলক কোনো বক্তব্য না করার জন্য পাঠকদের অনুরোধ করা হলো। কর্তৃপক্ষ যেকোনো ধরণের আপত্তিকর মন্তব্য মডারেশনের ক্ষমতা রাখেন।
