Sapna – Rishi’s Centre Of Gravity

Rishi, a boy in his early thirties had completed his graduation and was looking for government jobs. Four years after graduation, he did not have much success. So, he started looking in the private sector. Recently he saw an advertisement for an assistant manager post in a manufacturing unit. He applied for the same. For the interview, he had to visit the town. His interview went well, and he was told that he will be informed of the further process which never happened.

He had again started appearing for government job exams when one day he received a call from the manufacturing unit. They asked him to join soon for which Rishi obliged. He started working as an assistant manager in the manufacturing unit. He had his shift from 9 A.M -6 P.M. He had taken one flat in the town itself which was 15 minutes from the last bus stop nearby. Rishi had completed six months recently at his office. His manager asks him to come office at 12-9 P.M shift as they have a high workload during that shift.

It was his first day in this shift. He had to pick the last bus at 9.15 P.M so he reached the bus stop by 9.10 P.M. One or two college students from the university that was on the backyards of the bus stand were present on the tea stall. At the bus stop, he saw an utterly beautiful girl wearing a nicely fitted traditional salwar suit. She was sitting on the other side of the bench alone. Mesmerized by her beauty he almost would have missed his bus when he heard its noise and moved to board the bus.

The next day again Rishi found the girl and this time as she was alone at the bus stop after gathering all his courage, he asked her name. She replied smiling that she does not tell her name to strangers, but Rishi can call him Sapna. Rishi then asked what she is doing here at this time? She tells, she had come to visit his friends at the university and was waiting for her father to pick her up. While they were talking one stray dog came and sits near her legs. Rishi’s bus came, and he left after saying goodbye.

This happened for the next few days, he used to meet the girl at the bus stop, talk for a couple of minutes, and then board the bus. Rishi started leaving the office a little early to spend time with his new interest. This is the first time happening with him that he is so much attracted to someone. Today Rishi reached early also but he did not find the girl. There was a lot of rush near the bus stop because of the ongoing fest in the university. He thought she might be busy in the fest with her friends.

After the fest completed Rishi was eager to see the girl. When he met her next, he asked was she attending the fest. To which she replied she does not like crowds and fests. While they were talking, she was looking at the dog with affection that had come again near her and he was responding by dancing his tail left and right.

Now it had been a routine for Rishi to visit the bus stand, spend some time with her whenever she is available, and then leave for his house. One thing he always tried is to talk to the girl at such an angle that the tea seller does not notice him as he was of Rishi’s father’s age.

This way few days went by and Rishi was falling in love with her. He was sure that she also liked him. He decided to share his feeling with her. The next day when he reached the bus stand, he was tired, and he tried to put his head on her shoulder. She stopped him in between and asked him not to do the same again. He asked if she would like to have tea which she did not reply to. He went to the tea stall and brought two cups of tea. When asked for two cups of tea the tea seller looked at him in a little surprise. He came to the bench they were sitting; he did not find her there. Rishi thought her father might have come, so she would have left.

Rishi did not get a chance to tell her, his feelings. When he reached his house, his father called and asked him to visit the village this weekend and it has been long since he visited them. Rishi now had to tell Sapna at any cost tomorrow before leaving. The next day when he reached the bus stand, he had brought a pair of earrings for her. He gifted her the earrings and asked if she loves him and he needs to know as his father is searching girl for his marriage. She tells him that she always liked him. The first time she saw him was when last year he came for the interview. At that time, this stray dog sitting near to her was very weak and dying of cold when he offered him some hot tea from the tea stall. She always looked for Rishi near the bus stand but never found him till recently.

Rishi visited his village and after three days came back to town. He did not find her for a few days on the bus stand. He was finding it hard to work at his office because of her absence. It had been ten days now and he had not seen her again. After the office, he went to the tea seller and asked if he saw the girl with whom Rishi used to talk. To which tea seller replied in surprise “Which girl? I never saw any girl with you”. Rishi thought the tea seller might be drunk at night so he shall visit him the next morning.

The next morning Rishi went to the tea seller and asked him the same question. To which tea seller replied that he has never seen Rishi with any girl. Also, the tea seller tells him that he was quite surprised when Rishi asked for two glasses of tea another day as no one else was there. He thought Rishi might be taking another cup of tea for the dog. Rishi was a little nervous now with the way events are opening in front of him.

Rishi then saw some girls at the bus stand from the college who used to join the same bus a few times with him. He went to them asked if they had seen the girl with whom he used to talk before boarding the bus, who was utterly beautiful and always wearing a traditional dress, the girl named Sapna. What the girls told him came as a shock to Rishi. They told him that they had never seen him with any girl. Although a girl with similar looks what Rishi was telling them, died last year. They told him that last year, after joining the fest with her friends she was crossing the road near the bus stand when a drunk bus driver ran the bus over her. He asked what the name of the girl was, they said it was “Chhaya”.

Then he remembered the exact words of Sapna from the last meeting. Rishi had asked if she loves him to which she replied she loved him from the very beginning, but it is too late for them to be together. As Rishi was talking to her, few people from the tea stall were looking distinctly towards him. Rishi ignored them thinking it might be because of her beauty that they are looking at them. He told her that he will not come for a few days as he is visiting hometown to which she replied he shall think about marrying the girl of his father’s choice.

Rishi was numb, he was finding it hard to believe what the girls had told him just now about Sapna. He left his office an hour early today. When he came to the bus stand, he found it empty. Tea seller was the only person and that dog was also not around.

He came home started looking at social sites to search Chhaya from the same college. He found her profile on which there was no update for the last one year. He was scrolling down the photos of Chhaya and remembering the time he spent with her when some noise happens on his door. He felt as if someone is knocking the door softly.

It was 9 P.M., he thought it might be the guy who used to deliver food for him. When he opens the door, he finds the same stray dog sitting outside and looking at him. He looks around, no was there. There he finds the earrings he had gifted to Sapna lying near the dogs’ legs. He sits down on the floor and bent down right to pick up the earrings. While bending down he felt as his head touched someone’s shoulder. He stood up in utter shock, was lost in his thoughts when he felt cold breeze around his face and his lips. He felt as if someone touched him and the chilling feeling, he was having vanished after a few seconds.

शुभं भवतु !! Gaurav Raj !!