I remember a very embarrassing moment of my teen years.
It was on our college bus. The bus was packed to capacity. I was seated right in front, near the door. The journey would normally take an hour, from our respective college in the city to the colony where we young people lived.
Every one knew each other, I felt. Except me. A terrible loner and extremely shy, I always kept to myself.
We were reaching the end of our journey, with the bus winding its way inside the huge colony, pausing to stop every five minutes, for folk to get down into its green interior.
I was gazing right in the front, when I happened to look to my left. He was standing on the lower most step of the bus, maybe a foot away from me. Facing me directly, he was staring hard at me!
Very good looking, of medium built, slightly dark, with the typical Mallu mustache, I had seen him umpteen times before. My parents knew his folk, but was that reason for this strange behavior?
A little taken aback, I turned my gaze away. If he needed to get off the bus, he shouldn't be facing me like that. How long he stared at me, I don't know. Highly embarrassing!
Minutes later, he got off. I always wondered why he did this. The entire bus was watching. Did he want to send out a strong message? That I'd been the only gal who didn't succumb to his good looks?
I'll never know. Of what crossed his mind that day, or even that of the folk seated in that bus with me.
Two years ago, as I was busy reconnecting with my colony friends, I came across his snap on Facebook. It was him alright.
He'd not changed one bit. Same as 24 years ago. I sent him a friend request without even thinking.
He accepted. He later confessed to me, that he couldn't recognize me. He went about inquiring from all his friends. Finally, he got it. He messaged me, "Oh, you. How different you look now. Not the same gal who walked to the bus stop each day with head down."
I laughed. He lived in Mumbai too.
"Nerd," that's how he addresses me on rare occasions that we chat.
A nice person really, I thought to myself. Amazing how we would both end up in the same city though I haven't met him yet.
In one of our chats, I dared ask him that important question. Which nagged me all these years.
"Why did you stare at me on that bus that day?"
"Hey, I can't recollect a thing," he admitted.
"No, you did stare at me," I persisted.
"Ah, then it must be at that mosquito hovering over your head," the guy cheekily replied.
