The Howrah Mail

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They kept talking about the general stuff and the whole day was over. Anu hadn’t thought that time would fly so fast. It was time for her to get down. It was time for them to get down. They had crossed Basin Bridge and Chennai central was about to arrive. All four got down. Karthik helped the elderly couple with their luggage and called a porter for them. Anu was the last one to get down. She forgot to taken her book. All the passengers had gone and she got down from the empty coach. She was surprised to see Karthik waiting for her.

“Hey…. I thought I will bid you good bye before I leave. It was nice meeting you,” he said in a very friendly tone.

“Same here. Would you mind giving your e-mail id? We can keep in touch.”

“Yes. You are right,” he said.
They exchanged their id’s and then left. Anu kept watching him go and then he vanished in the crowd. She made a call to her aunt to her that she was there and moved toward the pre-paid auto stand.

Anu’s aunt was waiting for her. “Welcome home dear,” she said.
“How was the journey?” Ambika, Anu’s cousin asked.
“It was cool,” Anu said with a mischievous grin. As she said this she got reminded of Karthik again. She was about to tell Ambika the story as it was too early and there was nothing so great to tell also.

“Aunty, give me a cup of your ever refreshing coffee!!” Anu said holding her aunt by her shoulder.

“Sure dear. You know we were waiting for you so that we can give you good news,” her aunt said excitedly.

“What good news?” she asked and looked at Ambika quizzically.

“Tell me, tell me,” she nudged Ambika and seated herself on the kitchen slab and dangled her legs.

“Well, the guy whom we had selected for Ambika is going to meet her today,” her aunt said handing the cup of coffee to Anu.

“That’s super cool. I will be able to see my future…..jiju,” Anu said excitedly.

“Eh! Don’t get so excited. It is not fixed yet and I am just going to meet him,” Ambika said hitting her on her back.

“Okay chill! Go get ready fast,” Anu said washing the cup of coffee and she went to the drawing room and started reading the newspaper.

Ambika was ready and she wore a blue jeans and a pink kurti.

“You are in jeans?” Anu exclaimed.
“Then, what do you expect me to wear a saree and go out with him,” Ambika said with a frown.

“Huh!! Style!! Anu said.

The door bell rang. Anu went to open the door. As soon as she opened the door she was stone cold. She stood there dumbfounded without even welcoming the guest. It was the other person who spoke first.

“Hi! Anusha. How come you are here?” he spoke.
Anu just came back to her senses when her aunt shouted, “Who is it Anu?”
“Er…Er..she fumbled. It is ….”
By then her aunt came and opened the door wide.
“Welcome Karthik,” she is Anusha, my sister’s daughter.
“Ambika is ready,” she added. Karthik was smiling as usual.

She had developed some kind of liking for him. She didn’t want to show her discomfort so she chose to smile back at him and she stood there listening to Karthik’s story as to how he met him in the train. She was so confused. It took her sometime to realize that possibly he was going to be her sister’s would be.

“Thank God! I did not share my feelings with anyone” she muttered within.

“Let it be a Howrah Mail Secret.”