It was a Sunday and thus a holiday for most. The otherwise busy roads were vacant in the areas where there were no means of entertainment and recreation nearby. Apart from the occasional traveller, there was no one there and then the rain came.
People in the open rushed to seek shelter, while some rushed to another purpose, like Amaya who thought she could make it to the bus stand. Amaya had finally found time to meet her childhood friend at a restaurant and had decided to take the bus on her way back home.
As the rains touched a heavy tone, everything became deafening. Amaya realised reaching the bus stand would not be possible without becoming completely drenched. She spotted a shelter, it looked like an abandoned bus stand and slowly walked there making sure her steps did not slip.
It didn’t take long for Amaya to realise that there was another person there, a man in his forties and sitting beside him was a boy who looked almost 20. The clothes on them looked old and worn out, and the man could use a new pair of glasses.
“Stuck in the rain?” asked the man
“Yes, if I could just make it to the bus stand,” said Amaya
“This is a bus stand,” said the man
“I noticed,” said Amaya, “but looks like its no longer in use”
“It is in use,” said the man smiling, “just not in the way known to most”
“Oh.. So is this where you work?” Amaya said thinking this is where maybe the poor man had set up something to earn his living
“No, I used to work in factory nearby, I had to leave work for personal reason” replied the man
Amaya stayed silent thinking maybe this is where the poor man lived with the boy who was silent. Hard times can come unannounced sometimes.
“The rain,” said the man, “I saw the clouds and came to see the rain. It’s not something you forget wherever you have seen it in peace”
Amaya noticed that the boy hadn’t looked towards her even once and had neither shown any signs of listening to the words spoken.
“He is a quiet one,” said Amaya
“Looks like it,” said the man, “found him wandering around, brought him here when the rain started. Must be new.”
Both of them looked at the boy, who stayed silent and suddenly something caught the man’s attention and he said, “it’s here… the bus is coming”
“What? Where?” asked Amaya looking around and then a wave of strong wind forced her to close her eyes and everything fell silent.
Amaya realised she was alone there and the man and the boy were no longer present. Now, she understood what the man meant by the bus stand still being in use.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
When the Bus Arrived
Early Morning Memories 