My name is Ranjini and I am a 36 year old woman. I work for a travel agency in Madras. My husband works in the Gulf coming home once every 2 or 3 years. My eldest child is a girl aged 13 studying in a boarding school.
The incident I am about to relate happened 2 years ago. I travel fairly often in the course of my work to other southern cities. On one such visit to Bangalore I could only get a ticket back on the night train. I since I had some associates take me out for dinner, I reached the station only 5 minutes before the train was scheduled to depart i.e. at 10.30 pm. I had a first-class ticket and I rushed into the bogie fearing that the train would start any minute. When I entered my compartment I found 2 elderly Gujrathi ladies who were talking loudly in their own language. I wished them and it was obvious that they could not understand English.
I was just settling into my seat when someone rushed in. I looked up and was taken aback to see that it was Sukumar, an old acquaintance of mine. I must tell you something about him. I used to know him years ago when I had just passed out from college and started working. I had a set of friends and we used to go out occasionally with some boyfriends, nothing serious or more meaningful. Sukumar was friendly with those boys and that's how we met him. I somehow had a crush on him but unfortunately nothing happened because he just didn't seem interested and we happened to lose touch. Anyhow here he was, looking surprised at the chance meeting. He had greyed somewhat but was still an attractive personality.
I smiled at him and said, "Hello Suku, what a pleasant surprise meeting you after such a long time!"
He smiled back and said, "Hi Ranjini, the pleasure is entirely mine. You have not changed one bit. You look just as young as we last met." While I knew this was a bit of an exaggeration, I was pleased. We exchanged notes for a very long time. It transpired that he was married with 2 children and that he was working for a well known FMCG company. He had recently been transferred to Madras from Trivandrum where he had kept back his family. Probably because of the long absence of my husband, I kept thinking how sexy he looked and how good it would be to have the companionship of such a man.
Anyway the next morning we reached Madras and went our own ways exchanging phone numbers and promising to keep in touch. I was hoping that he would keep in touch but I did not hear from him. A week later I was surprised to get a call at my office sometime in the afternoon. It was Suku saying that just wanted to say hello. He sounded rather nervous but I soon put him at ease. It appeared that he was quite lonely and bored since he did not have any friends in the new place. He then rather haltingly asked me whether I would care to join him out for dinner on Friday which was a half day. I wanted to tease him a little so I said that I was expecting a colleague to visit our office on Friday. However if the visit was postponed, which I would know the next day, I would be able to join him. I asked him to call around 3 p.m. the next day.
Sharp on the dot at 3 in the afternoon Suku called me. I said, "Suku, I'm so sorry but this person's visit is on and so I would not be able to make it."
